The Bruins have decided on the fate of head coach Claude Julien.

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Published 7 years ago
The Bruins have decided on the fate of head coach Claude Julien.

The Boston Bruins have decided on the fate of their head coach Claude Julien.

Despite missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the team has decided that they will retain Julien behind the bench next season.

General manager Don Sweeney announced Wednesday he met with Julien extensively following the Bruins' final regular season game, and retains confidence in the winningest head coach in club history.

When Sweeney was asked if Julien will be the head coach next season, he replied, "Absolutely."

Assistant coach Doug Houda, however, will not be returning next season.

"I emphatically believe that Claude can take us through what has been a bumpy transition period," Sweeney said. "I have work to do."

Sweeney added he will not contemplate a major overhaul of the roster, focusing instead on organizational depth and integrating young players into the everyday lineup.

The goal of keeping Julien behind the bench is for he and Sweeney to work out what exactly went wrong for the team and figure out how to correct it for the 2016-17 season.

"I want to be here," Julien added when asked if he considered moving on. "I want to bring this team back to where we had it."

Julien has stated he believes the team was, in fact, good enough talent-wise to make the postseason. However, the team showed too much inconsistency in big games.

"It’s pretty obvious we failed on numerous occasions with some big games (mentioned Winter Classic)," he said. "Our consistency wasn't there."

One aspect that needs to be addressed this offseason is the team's defense. Despite boasting a fifth-ranked offense with 240 goals scored, the Bruins allowed 230 goals, slotting them 19th among all teams.

The lapses on defense ultimately led to untimely goals and losses that cost the team a chance at the postseason.

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Images Courtesy of Keystone Press


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