Bruins president opens up on 'difficult' decision to part ways with Brad Marchand and three other veterans

The Boston Bruins traded Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic at the deadline. Marchand was the captain, and a couple of them were longtime veterans.

Bruins president Cam Neely realized by the time the deadline was around that the team wasn't destined to compete this year and needed to look to the future. He said via the Boston Globe:

“It was difficult. It was something we hadn’t had to do since I’ve been president. So normally we’re adding, not subtracting, so it was a little bit more challenging. Those guys have been around for quite some time and they’re really good people.”

Marchand landed with the Florida Panthers, while Frederic went to the Edmonton Oilers. Coyle was sent to the Colorado Avalanche, while Carlo was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a deadline unlike any in recent memory for the Bruins.

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Bruins president opens up on booing following Brad Marchand trade

Right after the Brad Marchand trade, the Boston Bruins experienced a little bump. Eventually, that died down and they started losing a lot more often. Their fans responded by booing at home games.

Brad Marchand was traded by the Bruins (Imagn)

Cam Neely said booing is nothing new and that it's happened for decades. He said via the Boston Globe:

“I feel like the only time they really boo is when they don’t like the effort that’s put out. You can play bad hockey, but you can work hard and put the effort in.”

He understands why they boo, saying it's their right to voice displeasure whenever they have it.

“Yeah, I mean, they have the right to respond how they want. They come in and support us," he added. "We have a very passionate fan base and that’s one of the great things about playing in Boston is the passion of our fans and the bad comes with the good at times."

Neely admitted that even before the trades, things were difficult and he's not surprised that a challenging year has resulted in booing from home fans of such a prominent NHL franchise.