To nobody’s surprise, Bruce Cassidy is on board with shedding his interim tag and becoming Boston’s full-time bench boss.
“Absolutely,” Cassidy said of coming back, following the Bruins’ opening-round playoff loss to Ottawa (per CBS Boston). “One hundred percent.”
One would think the 51-year-old did enough to warrant a longer look. After replacing Claude Julien in early February, Cassidy led a team on the fringes of the playoff picture to an 18-8-1 record down the stretch, and a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division.
Yes, the B’s fell short against the Sens, but were hamstrung by a depleted lineup missing the likes of Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo. Top center David Krejci was also extremely limited, missing three of six games to injury.
When further asked about his future, Cassidy tapped the brakes on predicting what will happen, or what changes the team needed for next season.
“Well, now we’re making a lot of assumptions,” he said. “That will be determined going forward by management. It’s a tough question to answer.”
Cassidy’s time with Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence, and his history working with young players, may certainly help his cause. A few of his guys -- Austin Czarnik, Frank Vatrano, Tommy Cross, Noel Acciari -- forged out roles with the big club this season, while other youngsters certainly made an impact in the playoffs.
Prized d-man prospect Charlie McAvoy was a central figure on defense, and one of Cassidy’s more notable lineup moves -- putting Sean Kuraly in for Games 5 and 6 -- gave the club a boost of energy.
That said, the B’s do have options on the coaching front.
There are a number of experienced bench bosses available. Lindy Ruff, Darryl Sutter and Jack Capuano -- a former teammate of Sweeney’s, it should be mentioned -- are just a few of the higher profile free agents out there. It’s unclear if Boston is interested in going this route, however. Cassidy has been with the organization a long time, going on eight seasons, and has certainly paid his dues.
