Claude Julien will not take the fall for a bubble team that came up just one point short.
After missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Boston Bruins stood by their head coach Thursday during their end-of-season press conference.
“I believe in Claude as a coach,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “I don’t think we need a major overhaul. I believe we need to continue to forge depth within the organization.”
Sweeney said Julien — the NHL’s longest-tenured head coach — will “absolutely” be back behind the bench for 2016-17.
Assistant coach Doug Houda will not return to the team, Sweeney announced.
“I emphatically believe that Claude can take us through what has been a bumpy transition period,” Sweeney said. “I have work to do.”
Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 and 2013, guiding Boston to a thrilling seven-game victory over the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, the sixth championship in franchise history.
Bruins star Patrice Bergeron said earlier this week that Julien is the best coach he’s ever played for.
The Bruins’ late-season collapse resulted in a 42-31-9 record. Boston finished tied with the Detroit Red Wings at 93 points but lost out on a post-season berth due to fewer regulation and overtime wins.
Sweeney said he believed the Bruins, who finished fifth overall in scoring, made strides offensively this season but struggled defensively.
Julien described missing the playoffs as a “failure,” and surely it was.
The Bruins not only held on to impending free agent Loui Eriksson at the deadline despite interest from other teams, they added two rental players of their own in Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, at the expense of draft picks.
The gamble didn’t pay off.
With Boston the final non-playoff team to host its end-of-season press conference, rumours swirled this week that Julien might lose his job. Some speculated the winningest coach in Bruins history could be a good fit with the Ottawa Senators, who fired coach Dave Cameron on Tuesday.
After getting blown out 6-1 by the Senators and booed off home ice in Saturday’s must-win finale, Sweeney met with his coach Sunday to dissect the team’s problems and again Wednesday after the players’ exit interviews.
“I love this city, I love our fans, and I love the organization,” Julien said. “I want to be here. I want to bring this team back to where we had it.”
