Claude Julien is leaving the Boston Bruins with his head held high.
Two days after being dismissed from the club he spent the last 10 years coaching, Julien penned a letter thanking the entire organization and its fans, via Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe:
I would like first and foremost to thank the Bruins organization for allowing my family and I the privilege of spending 10 unforgettable years in Boston. We were proud to call this great city home for so long and will dearly miss it.
To the players, past and present, medical and equipment staff, doctors and communications staff, all of whom worked hard for the success of our club with a team-first mentality, I cannot thank you enough for your commitment through it all.
From the game day security crew to the volunteers that I was fortunate enough to meet throughout the years, I thank you as well.
I certainly cannot sign off without thanking the people that made this time here so rewarding- the Boston Bruins fans. Your devotion, unmistakable passion, energy and support is what makes Boston the best sports city in the entire world!
In leaving this organization, what I'm most happy about and most proud of is being part of the team that brought the Stanley Cup back to Boston for the first time in 39 years. Sharing that journey and the Stanley Cup celebrations with our players, families, staff and our fans produced so many incredible memories that I will never forget. To all that were part of it and helped along the way, I want to express a heartfelt 'thank you.
Julien leaves as the Bruins' all-time leader in both regular-season and playoff victories, with 419 and 57, respectively. He also helped the club win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and earned the Jack Adams Award in 2009 as NHL coach of the year.
With each passing day, the NHL trade deadline gets closer and closer. Early speculation suggests a number of big-name players could be packing their bags in the coming weeks.
It would be a welcomed sight, especially after last year's deadline produced very few moves, and little of significance.
While a couple of clubs - namely the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers - did their best to boost their squads for long playoff runs in 2016, neither saw their deals pay dividends.
In fact, looking back, it's quite clear that sellers walked away all the richer.
The big boys failed
After the dust settled on last year's deadline, it became clear that only two big names had traded spots - Andrew Ladd and Eric Staal.
The deals were supposed to make the Chicago Blackhawks (Ladd from Winnipeg) and New York Rangers (Staal from Carolina) contenders in their respective conferences, but both lost in the first round.
On the flip side, the Jets received a 2016 first-round pick - which they used to move up in the draft - a conditional 2018 third-round pick, and forward Marko Dano.
As for the Hurricanes, they received two second-round picks - one in 2016 and one in the upcoming draft - along with forward prospect Aleksi Saarela.
Ladd and Staal would combine for just two points in 12 playoff games (both by Ladd), so you can chalk those up as wins for the sellers.
Canadian teams get bang for their buck
With all seven Canadian teams failing to make the playoffs last season, nearly all were active in one way or another at the deadline. In nearly every case, those teams sold off assets and received favorable compensation in return.
Canadiens
Canadiens acquire
Blackhawks acquire
Phillip Danault / 2018 2nd-round pick
Dale Weise /Tomas Fleischmann
Flames
Flames acquire
Panthers acquire
2016 2nd-round pick / 2018 4th-round pick
Jiri Hudler
Flames acquire
Stars acquire
Jyrki Jokipakka / Brett Pollock / 2016 conditional 1st- or 2nd-round pick
Alex Stalock / Ben Smith / 2018 conditional 4th-round pick
James Reimer / Jeremy Morin
Note: there were a few other minor deals made by Canadian clubs, while the Jets' trade for Ladd was already mentioned above.
Looking at the trades, it's clear that Canadian teams made off pretty good.
Danault and Maroon have both produced more than either franchise would have predicted this year.
Meanwhile, Justin Schultz is having a great season in Pittsburgh, but it should be noted he produced very little during the Penguins' playoff run.
Elsewhere, Kris Russell didn't help the Stars like they'd hoped, the Panthers didn't capitalize on their deals with the Oilers and Flames, while the Maple Leafs opened up cap space and have Connor Carrick and Ben Smith playing regularly this season.
Top teams didn't need additions
In closing, it's clear that deadline moves had almost no impact on playoff outcomes.
As mentioned above, Schultz contributed just one goal and seven assists in 18 regular-season games for Pittsburgh, and just four assists while playing in 15 of the team's 24 playoff contests.
Meanwhile, the Sharks rode Martin Jones the entire way - leaving James Reimer on the bench - while their only other pickups ahead of the deadline were Roman Polak - who served on the team's third pairing - and Nick Spaling.
This season, it appears asking prices around the league for potential rentals are high once again. So if 2016 is any indication, buyer beware.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Petr Mrazek
It's been a bounce-back week for the Detroit Red Wings netminder, who made three straight starts since Feb. 3. Mrazek went undefeated in regulation over that stretch, owning a 2-0-1 record alongside a .933 save percentage.
It's a stark difference from what's been a difficult season for the 24-year-old. He grabbed the top job in Detroit a year ago en route to 54 nights in the crease, but the Czech goaltender has struggled in his third full campaign with the Winged Wheel.
Through 31 games this season, Mrazek's save rate has dipped to .899, while his 3.07 goals-against average needs improvement. That's led to greater workloads for Jimmy Howard and Jared Coreau. In the meantime, the second week in February was an encouraging one for Mrazek.
The veteran goaltender has done an admirable job filling in for Kings starter Jonathan Quick, coming away with a 25-16-3 record through 47 games this season. Not bad for a netminder who found himself on the waiver wire following a poor training camp.
But after recording three shutouts in four games ending Feb. 4, Budaj followed up that performance with a pair of ugly nights against the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning. In those two matches, Budaj stopped just 27 of the 36 pucks that came his way, while his GAA reached 5.44.
After last season, in which Schneider was the Devils' most valuable player on many a night, his game has dropped off this year. His save rate's fallen from .924 to .912, while his GAA has ticked up from 2.15 to 2.66.
But in the past three games, Schneider tallied 87 saves and allowed just six goals, good for a .935 save percentage with a GAA a notch below 2.00. The Devils sit three points outside of the East's final playoff spot, and strong performances down the stretch from Schneider will be key to New Jersey making its first playoff appearance since 2012.
▼ Andrew Hammond
The good news is it can't get much worse. Hammond, the Ottawa Senators' backup goaltender, struggled through his lone start this week, a 6-0 shelling at the hands of the St. Louis Blues.
Hammond made 24 stops against the Blues, but it wasn't enough, as the B.C. native struggled through his sixth appearance this season. Hammond has yet to find the win column, and his .837 save percentage and 4.08 GAA are among the league's worst.
He appears to be a shell of the goaltender who captured a 20-1-2 record with the Senators in 2014-15 and dragged Ottawa into the postseason. The good news for Senators fans is that Craig Anderson's return to the crease is not far off, and he'll share netminding duties with interim starter Mike Condon while Hammond goes back to the minors.
The 22-year-old also ranks fifth on the Blackhawks in shots on goal with 113 in 50 games.
This would be impressive enough if Hartman was skating in Chicago's top six, but he's been doing it lately while lining up on the fourth line with Tanner Kero and Vinnie Hinostroza.
Hartman is on pace to have a 20-goal season, and while he's not quite in the Calder Trophy conversation thanks to one of the best rookie classes ever, he's still making a name for himself while contributing to one of the league's best teams.
All of Hartman's goals have come at even strength, but he's in impressive company nonetheless.
NHL even strength goals by rookies this season
Auston Matthews: 22 Patrik Laine: 15 RYAN HARTMAN: 13 Sebastian Aho: 13 Mitch Marner: 13
The Blackhawks are frequently searching for secondary scoring by virtue of their litany of salary cap casualties over the years, but getting this kind of production from a rookie on the bottom line provides the club with balance on offense that they can afford.
The center followed up a pair of assists with the game-winner in overtime Wednesday night, banging home a rebound on the power play and lifting the Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
But hold the phone ... literally. The Blackhawks challenged the play, claiming Parise was offside while Charlie Coyle had the puck on his stick entering Minnesota's offensive zone.
The officials used a smartphone to communicate with the league office in Toronto during an extensive review of the play.
Here's the sequence in its entirety, at the end of which the NHL upheld the on-ice crew's ruling due to inconclusive evidence to the contrary:
"Review was not conclusive in determining whether Parise had tagged up at the instant the puck touched Charlie Coyle's stick," the league explained in a statement shared by Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus.
"According to Rule 78.7, 'If a review is not conclusive and/or there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether the call on the ice was correct, the on-ice official(s) will be instructed to confirm their original call," the NHL added.
One of the better team social media accounts was at it again Wednesday, as the club prepares to play the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Thursday, while riding back-to-back - the title of one of Toronto icon Drake's songs - shutouts.
Considering how bad the Blues' goaltending has been this season - they're dead last with an .892 save percentage - you can forgive them for really milking the back-to-back clean sheets.
Carter Hutton shut out the Flyers on Monday, while Jake Allen followed up with one of his better games Tuesday, stopping all 30 shots the Senators threw at him.
Toronto was pasted by the Blues last week, 5-1 in Missouri. Like Drake in the summer of 2016, the Maple Leafs will be out there looking for revenge, we presume.
