Hey guys, this is an interview Gusto did with Coleman GM of the Boston Bruins.

Thanks a lot for your time Coleman.

Q : Hello Coleman, with FA around the corner, how does your team stand?

A : Well, we did address some of the weaker areas of our team during the season. I was able to bring some depth at forward, as well as acquiring a long-term starting goalie in Pascal Leclaire. We're a long way from contending though, I would definitely expect us to be active during free agency. A couple of veteran defenceman would really help us contend for a play-off spot next season

Q: Who was the surprise of last season and who do you think will be a key member of your squad for next?

A: Mikko Koivu really stepped up when Joe Thornton was injured. He took his game to entirely different level and ended up leading our club in scoring. Joe is definitely our number one centre moving forward, but having a strong second line will make us much harder to defend against. Thomas Vanek also go hurt last season, but we're going to need him to put up better numbers going forward.

Q: On the other hand, who was the biggest let down of last season?

A: Probably our goaltending. Both Manny and Nitty struggled during their time here. Pascal was brought in at the deadline and only played 5 games, but we definitely need a better effort from our netminders next season.

Q: What should we expect from the bruins next season?

A: I expect us to compete for a play-off spot. Our division is pretty tough, with quite a few contenders. We've got some pretty talented players though, I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to compete every night. Our organization will be dissapointed with another year missing the play-offs.

Q: What do the Bruins need in order to make the playoffs?

A: Better defensive play. We were 11th in the league in goals for last season, but 24th in goals against. There where too many games that we scored 3-4 goals and lost. We dealt a some of the veteran blueliners during the year, but our forwards didn't get the help they needed consistently. It's hard to make it in this league allow over 3 goals per game.

Q: Are there any prospects/farm players that will be making the jump to the WCHL?

A: We had a few young defencemen play full-time late in the season, but I hope to have them back in Providence for next season. Guys like Mark Stuart and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen will be counted on to step-in for injuries during the year, but I'd like to see them play big minutes in the AHL. We've got a lot of work to do with our development system over the next few seasons.

Q: What is your philosophy, to build trough FA or trough Draft and why

A: I think you need a good balance of both, especially in a cap system. It can be pretty expensive to build purely through free agency, so you need to have some young guys coming up all the time. I'd like to have some more youth in this organization, but it's something that's going to take time. We'll have to look heavily into free agency until we can add some better depth to our farm system.

Q: With little draft picks left in the cup board, are the Bruins stocking picks from now on ?

A: I won't say no if the right deal came around, but I'm not in a hurry to move high picks. We've only got one second round pick in the next draft, which will hurt us a lot. Don't expect us to trade all of our veterans for picks next season, but I will look to add picks when able to.

Q: In your opinion what team will be the biggest surprise next season? and who will be the biggest dissapointment?

A: The Rangers look strong. There success will greatly depend on if Niedermayer re-signs, or if they are able to re-sign him. They've got star players at all the right positions and a good coach, I see them making some noise.

I think Atlanta will disapoint everyone next season. Their GM sucks, and it's only a matter of time before that catches up with them.

Q: And to finish, who will win the WCHL cup next season?

A: Definitely Carolina. Mike will succesfully re-create the Red Wings team that won in '97 and '98.

Book it. Yzerman comes back, so does Vernon.