BOSTON BRUINS QUOTES End of Season Media Availability Friday, June 11, 2021

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD PATRICE BERGERON… On how many chances this core has left... Every year, as you don't achieve your goal and the further you go in your career, you get to realize it's a year closer to retirement. So, obviously, it's tough. From one year to the next, it's always a missed opportunity and you want to keep going at it. It's hard. As you get older, you know that you don't have that many chances to achieve your goal and have a team that can actually compete for a Stanley Cup, so it's always disappointing. About changes, I'm not sure. It's not up to me. You always want to keep the same group and I feel like we have a great group here. We'll see what happens.

On how he feels physically... I feel fine. Obviously, the usual aches and bruises of a season and playoff hockey. The groin held up fine this year, which is great news. I'll take it a year at a time and see how my body feels and all that.

On the top six going forward... I think we have a great mix of guys. I think, not just from the top-six, but even throughout, I thought we had great depth. It was challenged many times this year, faced a lot of adversity. I thought the guys that came in did a great job and stepped up. I do think we can compete, we're close to having a Stanley Cup-caliber team, and we'll see what happens. That being said, those are out of my hands. It's not decisions I'm going to make. I always leave it up to management, and I trust them to make those decisions.

On his offseason... I think right now, it's obviously a disappointing loss. The last few days have been a lot of thinking. But that being said, you're right. It's been a challenging year on many levels, for everyone, really, with all the restrictions and protocols and everything. It was a different year. It wasn't as smooth as usual, and there were a lot of things you had to think about and worry about as well. I think I am, like everyone else, looking forward to a normal summer, or close to it. Kind of recharge and get ready for next season, which hopefully should be back to normal.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN KEVAN MILLER… On if he was going to be ready for Game 7... Yeah. I took the impact test on Wednesday. Skated with the guys on Tuesday, then took the impact test Wednesday and was cleared for contact Thursday. I would have been good to go for Game 7.

On if he wants to keep playing... Obviously, you want to play every game you can. That was my goal this year, it didn't happen. I got some good hockey in and I really was holding out for as much as I could for the playoffs. It's something I'll talk to my family about and make a decision and go from there.

On how difficult it was to watch the playoff games... It doesn't get any easier, that's for sure. It's a tough pill to swallow, you want to be out there. Been down that road, unfortunately. I was super close to being back, most likely would have played in Game 7. That it just makes it even worse, to be honest with you. It's not good.

On if the last injury was a concussion... Yeah.

On the hit and his knee... First, the hit — I'm not player safety, that's their job to do it. I think, I wish he would have just hit me in the shoulder instead of the chin. Just hit me in the shoulder, hit me clean, I'm still playing. Just hit me square. Knee's doing well, thank you.

On when it's one injury after another... It weighs on you, it's not easy. You want to be out there with the guys and helping them win. I think I could have helped. Just get one more game. That's how it goes sometimes, that's hockey. That's life. Just have to turn the page.

On what he's thinking about and the next steps... Like I said, I think it's something I'll go home and have a conversation with my family about. Haven't seen my kids for a while. I want to spend time with them, my dad and my mom. We'll go from there. I haven't really put too much thought into it, honestly.

On the core players... You're playing for everybody in the room. We have such a good group, obviously those guys have been here the longest. They've won, they know what it takes to win. They made it to two Stanley Cup Finals after that. It takes a lot to win a Stanley Cup, a lot has to go your way. I think this one, this year — a lot didn't go our way. Whatever you want to call it. Just, the opportune time — a lot has to go the right way during an opportune time. It just didn't go that way. It's unfortunate, and there's a lot of guys in this room that played on the line to get out there and win. Unfortunate, it didn't go our way. It's something that, like I said, as we get older, a little bit older, there's a still a lot of life in all the guys. I think we can do it again next year.

BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER JEREMY SWAYMAN… On how this season went and how difficult it was going into a playoff game after not playing for a while... I thought it was a special year, definitely one I'll remember for a long time. It's always been a dream to put on an NHL jersey and to be with the Boston Bruins, it was even better. It was just an awesome experience, I know that I'm super fortunate for that. I'll take what I learned this year and run with it for sure. As far as the game goes — again, I was so excited to get that opportunity but I knew that my job was to do whatever I can to help the team and I wanted to be confident going in, make sure they could rely on me and what I needed to do, make some saves for them. Hopefully I was going to do that part and help the team win, but we just fell short so it was kind of a bummer. But it was an awesome experience.

On some of the important things he's learned this year... I think the biggest thing is just preparation and recovery, because a pro season is so much different than college. You're going every day it seems like, and every other day is either a game day or not a game day. It's pretty cool to see how these older guys handle themselves in and away from the rink and making sure that they come prepared every day. That's something that I'll take and run with it, for sure.

On if there was anything specific in the playoffs that was eye-opening... I think the intensity was pretty obvious to everyone, teams are fighting for their lives and their seasons, and it was apparent. Also seeing a full crowd at TD Garden was pretty special too, I know that was my first time being on ice-level with that. I was addicted ever since I saw that, so that was pretty cool. Playoffs, there's nothing like it. It's true what they say and again, to be a part of that playoff push was pretty special and I’m addicted, I want to be back for more.

On his summer plans... I'll definitely take a couple weeks off here, but as soon as my body feels ready again, I'm going to get back to training. I'll probably go home to Alaska and get up in the mountains right away, so I'm pretty excited for that. Again, just take a little mental break as well, just hiking around and get on the ice eventually. Start getting to work.

On seeing Tuukka Rask prepare and battle in the playoffs... I couldn't have asked for anything better. He's a world-class goalie, a world-class person, so it's awesome to learn from him. He battled and I think everyone knows it. His compete level is unmatched, and he brings a fire every day, especially when it's a playoff atmosphere. It's awesome to see that in some of the games that he stole, especially in Washington. It was pretty phenomenal to watch, and again, I learned so much just from watching what he does and seeing how he takes care of his body. It was a really special experience and I'm super happy about that.

On what this year showed him about his readiness to be an NHL goaltender... When your name is called, you have to answer the bell. And that's how I wanted to be. It's an awesome mindset to have, and I'm super happy about that. But again, everyone expects these players to pull their role, pull their weight. So again, I want to be that guy that people can lean on and trust. I'm super excited for that and I'm ready for more.

On if he had a chance to take it all in... I think the best way to explain that would be just taking things one day at a time, you know? It's a simple mindset, but it's effective. You get bumps in the road that are unexpected; that's just the nature of the game and the nature of life as well. It's just taking things one day at a time and making sure I'm doing whatever I can to help the team and help myself be better, and I think that was a good formula for me. I was really happy with that.

BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER TUUKKA RASK… On what was bothering him and what he has in store for summer… I have a torn labrum in my hip. I’m going to do surgery, I just don’t know what the exact date is, probably within a month. Start the recovery process and then we’ll see what the future holds after that. Hopefully the recovery goes well, and I’ll be ready to play hockey at some point next year.

On if he wants to play and come back to the Bruins… Yes, I do. Mentally, I’m up for that. The physical aspect, hopefully everything goes well, like I said, then we’ll probably be looking at January or February return to hockey. That’s kind of the plan and hopefully it works out.

On how much of a grind this year was playing through that injury and if it continually worsened… Well, yes, it was hard because I had it all year. We had to manage my workload really well during the season, so you don’t have to play a lot of games in a row. Obviously, in the playoffs, you play every other night, so it’s hard, but it never got to a point where I couldn’t play. The reason I missed time during the season was because I was compensating that hip injury with my other muscles and then my back seized up and I could barely walk for a week over there. That’s why I missed the time. The hip itself was never the issue. It just locks up on me every once in a while and that’s why you see me kind of limping out there. Obviously it’s not easy to play with a labral tear as a goalie, but like I said a couple days ago, I think our training staff did a great job maintaining it and keeping me out there.

On if there was incident where he got the injury… I think it was both. The first time I felt it was during those bubble games where we played against Carolina and I made a quick stretch. I reacted to something and I felt the pop there. It wasn’t something where it felt awful, but something definitely happened. I’m guessing that, along with the wear and tear over the years, is what happened. Obviously if you play goalie as much as I have and with the butterfly style, these things happen at some point to almost everybody. Maybe it was just probably a combination of both.

On if he’s enticed to give free agency a try… No, like I said before, I’m not going to play for anyone else than the Bruins. This is our home. We have three kids. The kids enjoy it here. They have friends in school. We have friends. At this point of my life and my career, I don’t see any reason to go anywhere else, especially with the health I’m looking at now and a recovery time of five or six months. Hopefully it works out that I recover well and we can talk about contracts when the time is right for that.

On how soon he’ll have surgery… Hopefully within a month.

On how much longer he wants to play… Who knows? I think, first and foremost, I’m trying to get this hip fixed and start the recovery and we’ll see how I feel after. You never know how it goes. You never know what they find when they open the hip, maybe it’s worse than expected. I don’t know. It’s kind of tough to give you an answer now. If everything goes well and I start feeling great and I come back and play and feel awesome, then who knows how long here I’ll play, but it could also go the other way. Maybe I don’t recover that well and maybe I just can’t play anymore. Who knows?

On how he looks back on this year after being hurt and how the end of the season sits with him… Well, we’ve dealt with disappointments many times. We’ve been very close a couple times. It’s never easy to lose. Obviously, we felt like we had the team to make a run, but it’s very small margins in the playoffs. You play against really good teams and sometimes you’ve got to tip your hat to the opponent too and say, ‘Listen, they were that much better than we were and that’s all there is to it.’ We definitely did everything we could to advance, and it just wasn’t enough. I can’t stand here and say, ‘It was because of my hip, I couldn’t play at my level.’ I felt like I played at a very good level. It was Game 5 that was a bad game I had and that would probably be the only bad game I had in the playoffs. It’s one of those things that happens, but I thought everybody should be proud of themselves and the way we battled.

On how involved he would be helping Swayman get up to speed if he becomes the starter… That’s what I’ve been talking about with Sweens [Don Sweeney] and the coaching staff too. I’ve played enough hockey. It’s getting to the point where anyway I can be helpful for these young guys, I want to do it. Who knows what the goaltending situation is going to look like when the season starts? I’m definitely up for helping out in any shape or form I can. I’ve been through it as a young guy. You were praising me for the first few weeks, few months. A couple years later it might turn. That’s why I’m here. When that happens to him, I can be helpful and tell him to block the media out.

On what he would do if Bruins didn’t want to re-sign him… We’ll see when we get there. Maybe I go play in Finland. I’m a part owner of a team in Finland. They’re opening a new rink. Maybe at that point I could play in Finland. Who knows? Maybe I could go play in Czech Republic again, I don’t know.

On what he feels for Kevan Miller and what he has gone through… It seems like it’s the same old story every year. He can’t get a bounce. It seems like he’s had every single injury there is to have. Everybody who knows him, you guys watched him play — he leaves it all out there every night he plays. The style he plays is much appreciated along with the teammates. He’s a great warrior. Sometimes you get into these injury cycles and you never seem to get out of it. I feel bad for him, but he’s been a great teammate. We’ve had such an awesome time. Great player and who knows what the future holds for him, but we hold him to a very high standard here.

On if he had his exit meeting and if the game plan was to have surgery and go from there… Yeah, I just spoke to the doctors this morning. I talked to Sweens and coaches. Yeah, so, we mapped out a plan.

On how difficult it has been on him getting criticized regularly… There’s a reason I don’t read social media or the news really because when you get caught up in that, it might be mentally tough, so it really doesn’t affect me because I don’t hear that noise. Like I think I’ve said many times before, people have opinions. They have the right to say whatever they want to say, as long as it’s in some kind of good limits. I respect that. It doesn’t affect my game. I feel like every time I go out on the town or wherever, people have been really supportive. It’s not like I go to the grocery store and people are throwing eggs at me or yelling at me over there. That might suck. People talk on social media, whatever the topic is. It seems like everyone has an opinion on everything. It doesn’t bother me.

On how proud he is of his body of work in a Bruins uniform… The Patriots definitely haven’t helped anybody in that regard because they won championships every year it seems like. This city all recognizes champions as their heroes. Obviously, as an athlete you want to win. You want to have a chance to win every year and I think we’ve been very close a few times. It’s unfortunate that we haven’t reached that goal yet and I haven’t won the Cup as a playing goalie, but I feel like I’ve played good hockey and given us a chance. It’s tough to win. There’s very few guys who win it. It’s not easy. We’ve definitely tried, and I just haven’t been able to close the deal and that’s the way it is. You just have to deal with it. Maybe it will happen. Who knows?

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD TAYLOR HALL… On free agency discussions and if there's a match... Nothing's changed since the last time I talked about this. But yeah, I see a fit and hopefully they feel the same. We'll let the dust settle on everything this year, I'm sure they have a lot of stuff going on and some other guys that have been here longer than me that they have to worry about. Then we'll figure that out, but hopefully we can make something work. That's my goal and like I said, hopefully we can make that happen.

On taking below market value to stay in Boston... I don't even know what my value is, at this point. I feel like I had two different seasons. I'm not looking to absolutely maximize my value at this point in my career. I've been fortunate enough to make some good money in this league, and at this point, it's about more of a fit for me than maybe money, or a long-term thing. You want to find a home for the next few years here and we'll see what happens.

On the second line and what the Islanders did... I think, you look at the six games — I think, as our line, we had four really solid games. We didn't have a lot to show for it. Then, the other two games, I thought we got outplayed and weren't able to produce for our team. And that's on us. That's hockey, I think every team that loses in the playoffs is going to say something along the same lines. You've got to learn from it. Even though I'm 29, I still think there's a lot of learning experiences to be had and a lot of things I can get better at. As a line, I think we were great off the rush. I think in-zone, we struggled to come up with chances the same way that Bergy's [Patrice Bergeron's] line did. When the play is in-zone and we're cycling around, I think that's something we could have been better at. Producing offense that way instead of off the rush. But it didn't work out, and we gave our best effort. Got to give them credit, they played great.

On how much he learned against the Islanders... This was a team that, if we won the Stanley Cup, no one would have been fully surprised. It's disappointing to be here, talking to you guys this early. The Islanders, they played great. I think they played to their style the best way that they could have. I also feel like there's — hindsight is 20/20, but I feel like there's some games in that series that could have went either way and could have went a different way. It's unfortunate that we're talking about this this early. But that's playoff hockey, and like you said, there's always learning experiences and there's always things you can draw off of. To see how dialed in they were, for six games, to see how committed they were to their game plan is a testament to what they do and how they play. You've got to give them credit for that.

On if there were any injuries nagging him... No.

On if he wants to stay in Boston for the summer... I'm going to be here for at least a couple more weeks. Like I said, I love the area, my girlfriend does as well. Unfortunately, back home is not very open. I don't even know if I could go to a gym or get ice time right now back home. I'm in no rush to get back there. We're going to enjoy our few weeks here and then we'll get back and see our family and whatnot. But I'm in no rush to leave.

On any lingering health issues... No, I'm healthy right now.

On having some downtime in the off season and next season... I'm hoping to be back here and have some normalcy. Not have to get tested every day, come in with the same team, have the same coach. Last year I had three coaches, this year I had three different coaches. It's been a lot, and I'm looking forward to hopefully staying put, putting down some roots, and like I said, getting some normalcy to our season. Having fans back. All of these things are really important, just as a person. To your question, I didn't want to have time off this early, but certainly a mental break is always good for anyone. We'll enjoy that. Like I said, I'm going to stick around Boston for a bit. Try to enjoy the area and all it has to offer, and we'll go from there.

On his Boston experience and if it was a shock for the season to end this quickly... My Boston experience was obviously really good. I think for both sides, I think it really worked out. Especially during the regular season; the playoffs, like I said, ended pretty early from what I expected for our team and I think a lot of guys were expecting the same thing. It's tough to go out like that. I think we had the makings of a really good team. It's frustrating, you don't want to be here this early. But I'm happy to be here — like I said, the city, the experience for me was great. The city, the fans, the organization as a whole, the guys in the room. For me, it was a chance to play with some really great players, some great people, and I really enjoyed that.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN BRANDON CARLO… On where his health is and if he could have played in Game 7… Definitely questionable if I was able to make it through the protocol steps. That’s what we were working towards, but I’m not sure with how I was feeling on the ice that day that I skated, just from dizziness and whatnot from the hit, how that would have gone. Overall, I’m feeling very good off the ice. I went and saw one of the specialists here and kind of did some stuff. I feel like the dizziness is starting to subside. Feeling good and encouraged that with this time off I’ll be more than 100 percent going into camp and everything. It’s obviously disappointing, but not sure if I would’ve been able to make it in there just with the protocol steps.

On what he saw that went awry in the Islanders series… To be honest, I can’t really pinpoint one thing. The style of game that they play, that they play very well, especially defensively. When we would get down by a goal or two, it’s a hard team to come back from. Going into the third period after those second periods where you give up a couple goals, it’s not easy to find your way back into those games. I think they just played to their structure very well and got their bounces. It worked out there for them. There’s obviously some moments where bounces didn’t go our way and that’s just hockey. Unfortunately, that happens, but yeah, I think they just got their bounces.

On his impressions of the hit he was injured on… I thought – great hit. I had no issues with it whatsoever. He went right through my chest. I can respect that any day of the week. He plays a hard game. I saw him coming down. I’m in that situation probably 10 times a game with those guys. They put the pucks in those good positions when they dump it. It’s not easy. It’s not a fun job as a defenseman to have to go back and continue to get hit like that. Overall, after I thought about it for a little bit, I’m wondering if there’s something I could do, maybe you look for a reverse hit, just understanding who’s coming down on you or whatnot. At the same time, I was focused on making a play with the puck and I did that. That’s my first job, first and foremost. I can’t just let him kind of swoop in and just grab the puck. I was just trying to do my job and unfortunately after he hit me, my head just hit the boards a little bit. I’ve honestly felt fine. Trying to grab my stick there obviously didn’t look good from the viewer’s standpoint, but yeah, that’s just part of the game.

On having at least three concussions, if it worries him… No, not at this point, not at all. I think this year was obviously a struggle through these injuries. It’s no fun, but I’m not going to sit here and get discouraged or think that my career is heading down a wrong path because of a couple concussions. I hope this is the last one of my career and hopefully I can play as long as possible, but for how I’ve recovered from these, I don’t feel like there’s any issue there.

On how challenging this year was and how much he looks forward to resetting this offseason… As I’ve gone through the injuries, it’s been mentally challenging throughout the year. I think, just in general the past two years with COVID. All of these certain situations have been difficult, but I’m thankful. When I sit here and I reflect on the situation, I have so much gratitude to be in the NHL. Through my faith, I’ve kind of been able to get pushed in the right direction of just appreciating the small things. Throughout this year, it’s been a lot of lessons, but good lessons to learn. The great thing I’ve also had is support around me. Obviously, Kevan Miller, I’m very close with him. He’s had these experiences a little more than I have. It’s good to have those guys to be able to communicate with and talk with. Like I said, lean on my faith and just continue on from there. I’m so excited for this summer to get going back at it right away. I don’t even want to take a break. I’m very frustrated with how little I was able to play this year and I think going forward, I just want to come out next year firing on all cylinders. I’m ready to get to work.

On if there’s ways as a player to avoid some of those dangerous hits… Yeah, like I said, maybe I initiate body contact while I’m going back on that puck. I’ve got to say, they did a hell of a job putting those pucks in the right position. There’s times where it goes to the goalie or whatnot, but it just seemed like it was slowing up in that grey area where you don’t want Tuukks [Tuukka Rask] coming out to play it. It’s kind of a long way to go back for the defenseman and you’re trying to scan the ice as you’re doing it. It’s not an easy task, but the only thing I can say, from even watching other playoff games and whatnot, just trying to maybe initiate contact there first, but I’m not going to change the play. I go back and I get hit like that. It just ended up to be an unfortunate hit. Overall, I think I have a job to do with moving the puck. I’m very comfortable with making a play and taking a hit. I think, just in that situation, my head just hit the boards and it was unfortunate, but I’m fine with that.

On loss of Krug and Chara and if he felt the depth played a role in the series loss… I think everybody did their part on the backend and up front as well. Watching those last couple games, it was tough to not be a part of it. Whether it’s winning or losing, you just want to be a part of it. I’m hopeful that I could have maybe had more influence in just trying to be stepping up into that leadership aspect. I wanted to be on the bench just encouraging guys and it’s hard when you’re a little bit disconnected from that. Overall, I think the guys that did step in, they did their part and they did a good job at it. I’m very proud of everybody on the backend, front end. I think our depth was tested, but there’s certain things that happened in that series, that I don’t know if every game could’ve gone either which way with just one little bounce. It’s obviously difficult to not be a part of in those last couple games, but I’m proud of the guys who were there.

On his feeling for Miller not being able to play and his friendship… Kevan and I have gotten so close over the past couple of years, it’s crazy. I can definitely say he’s one of my best friends from my experience here in the NHL, especially in Boston. I’ve learned so much from him off the ice as well. The guy, he’s just a stand-up guy. I feel terrible about how things have gone the past couple years for him. It hasn’t been easy. Like I said, when you’re away from the team a little bit, it’s kind of a disconnect, but I’m thankful through that experience, we’ve only grown closer. That speaks a lot to Kevan, just the way that he communicates and he wants to be a leader. Especially for a right-handed shot guy coming in the league behind him, he was never hesitant to share advice with me and help me along the way. I feel bad obviously. That’s not the way that you want to see his season end. I think with him, we both have the faith aspect that we’ve leaned on each other for and he’s in a good place with that.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CRAIG SMITH… On his first year in Boston... First year was great, I really enjoyed it. I came in, didn't really know what to expect. I heard great things about the locker room, staff. I thought, from a hockey standpoint, we had a great start. I liked the way this locker room carried itself, the way we played and the style we played that we put on the ice. There were a lot of good things that came out of it. Obviously ended up coming up a little short, but I thought our game was in a good spot going in, minus a few injuries. But that's the way it goes sometimes.

On his injury and how much it bothered him through the playoffs... It was a right groin injury. I thought our medical care did the best they could there. It was obviously short timing and working a lot of times in games to get things back to where we want them. But we had a couple of days, we took care of it. We were able to manage it from here on out.

On if he's hopeful his line stays together... Just coming in, I honestly just wanted to be a piece of the puzzle. I just wanted to see where I could — I mean, every year is a little bit different, right? Everyone comes in and kinds of sees themselves, where they want to be, sets some goals. To be honest, I just came in — I didn't care who I played with and where I ended up. I ended up playing with Krech [David Krejci] and [Taylor] Hall and I hope they come back. We had a great run there, and I had a lot of fun playing with those guys. On and off the ice, they're just tremendous people and two of my favorite teammates I've had over the past decade. I hope they come back. Those types of things are out of my hands, but moving forward, it'd be nice to see them again.

On if he'll need surgery... No surgery.

On his line and attacking off the rush ... I definitely think that was a factor. There was a little bit too much of one-and-done going on. I was disappointed, I thought that throughout the year, we had substantial zone time. It really wasn't much of an issue. But kudos to the Islanders, they played us well. There's certainly some areas we'd go back and change, but it's just how things shook out. That's definitely something on the plate for us to take care of.

On his summer plans... I'm going to stick around here for a little while. I haven't had much time to venture out and see the city. I'm really looking forward to that. I haven't had a chance to see Fenway yet. I'm a big history guy, so I've got some things to take care of around the city.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN STEVEN KAMPFER… On how he’s feeling and how recovery is going… It’s good. It’s three weeks in, so I’ve got another two and a half months, so it will be a lot of rehab and getting ready to go for next year.

On reports of him signing in the KHL… I can tell you I got offered contracts. I don’t know where it came out that I signed a deal because I was under contract with the Boston Bruins. It was news to me because when that whole thing came out it was the day after I had surgery. I can comment that I’ve received contracts from different leagues, but I have not signed anything moving forward.

On what he hopes happens moving forward… I want to play hockey, obviously. Regardless of where that is, I want to play. I think I have a lot of hockey left in me. I think what happened this year, I guess I got hurt. It was unfortunate. I think the hardest part for me was I was playing, and I was playing well, then I had surgery. I don’t think I wanted to have surgery. When you tear a ligament in your hand, you have to have surgery and that’s what it came down to. It was unfortunate. We’re going to get that taken care of and move forward and go from there.

On how his injury happened and if he knew it was a problem right away… It happened in early March right when I first started playing. I got hit and I played for six weeks on it and then I did all the necessary steps for it of rest. I got a cortisone shot in it to hopefully alleviate the pain and then we moved forward. The pain came back and it was to the point where I couldn’t play. I couldn’t handle a puck. I couldn’t shoot pucks in practice and it was tough. It’s tough for any player because you don’t want to take yourself out of an equation. You don’t want to have surgery when you’re getting to that point of the season. It got to the point where we sat down with the trainers and the surgeon and it was the best thing that we could do moving forward.

On his future with the Bruins… My agents talk to them. I haven’t spoken with Sweens about anything. That’s his call. That’s his area. I’ve yet to speak with him today, so we’ll go from there. I don’t know. I’ve loved my time in Boston. If this is the end of it, I love the guys in the room, the staff, and we’ll go from there.

On how frustrating the year has been and how he’s looking forward to getting a break… It was extremely tough. Obviously with Brandon and Kevan in the first round and then the second round where you’re essentially not available to play, it’s tough. You want to play. It’s the best time of year. I think that was the hard part. You want to be available. You want to help the team at any cost and when you can’t, it’s difficult. I think to your next question of moving forward and letting things go. I think it will be, give it a couple weeks. I think everything’s so fresh right now. The season’s over. Listen I’ve had three weeks where I’ve been off, but I don’t think you ever stop thinking about the game. I don’t think you stop thinking about what you can do to help. I think in the next couple weeks here when things kind of settle down and I realize where the recovery’s at and getting movement back in my wrist, we’ll go from there.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CURTIS LAZAR… On his injury... Sprained my MCL and bruised my ACL, kind of the knee and stuff. We feared the worse, we got the best news possible in that situation. But still, it sucks sitting out that last game.

On if surgery is needed... No, I'm all good. I'll be good to go in about a week's time, I guess.

On his experience in Boston and moving forward... It's been great. It's been a whirlwind of a season. I'm looking forward to kind of taking a step back and processing it all. At the end of the year, with my contract, I know I'm coming back here. It's exciting. Truly enjoyed my time here with the Bruins, it's a great group of guys, great staff, great management. Top to bottom, nothing but good things to say and I'm excited to get back to work next season and accomplish a lot.

On what happened in the Islanders series that made it go the other way... It's hard to pinpoint, obviously, because if it was an easy fix, we would have fixed it during the series. You have to give the Islanders props, they played their identity, they played to their structure. They're a tough team to play against. They keep everything to the outside. For us, I think at times, we got away from our game and just got roped into how they wanted to play. All in all, I figured that on the paperwork, we're the better team, but when it comes down to it, at that times, you've just got to show up and want it more. That's what playoffs is all about. Doesn't matter who you've got out there or what. Again, we fought hard and unfortunately just couldn't get it done.

On how he projects his role going forward... I think for myself, I've told people around me the past few years, I really see myself as a leader in that bottom-six role. A guy that I feel like can play any style. The finesse game is definitely something I'm not going to shy away from, the physicality — that's my brand of hockey, I love that. I want to be out there with the momentum swings, take a lot of pride in the penalty kill and whatnot. Again, for myself, talk to the coaches, see what they expect from me. I can play center or wing, there's a lot of possibilities. For myself, it's just a matter of getting a good summer of training in and leaving the door wide open as to where they want me to play, what type of role and all that. Because I'm all ears, I'm excited for the future of this team and to be here next season.

On his job as fourth line center... Doesn't really matter where I slot, as long I'm on the ice competing and trying to help my team win. I think you guys know by the way I play, it's a meat and potatoes game. A lot of the stuff, it's gritty, it's hard, but I embrace that. I want to be that unsung hero type of guy. Again, offense is always the area that the fourth-liner role, you're not relied upon, but there's no reason why we can't produce on that regard. Continue to grow my game that way, find the confidence with the puck, try to be a little bit more dynamic because when you're playing with the puck in the offensive end, it's also a great way to defend. When their team doesn't have the puck, they're not going to put it in your net. Continue to grow that game and just keep on building.

On if he plans to stay in Boston... We're actually, just with the whirlwind of having our son and moving out here right away, we're still waiting on his birth certificate before we can head back home to Canada. But we'll be going home as quickly as we can, we've got some grandparents that are pretty excited to meet their little grandson. For us, to get back home and be surrounded by friends and family whenever you can. But in the meantime, like you said, just be in Boston. Love the city, love the passion they show surrounding their sports teams. We saw that firsthand in the playoffs and having the fans back in the building. From our family standpoint, we love it here and we look forward to growing more as a whole.

On what he knew of Boston and the Bruins before coming here and what he has experienced... First and foremost, the passion. It's a true sports city with the standard, I guess you can say. With all of the teams here, they're expected to win, and I love that challenge. I know for myself, having been on the opposing team playing against the Bruins, you knew every time that you played them, you were in a for a tough night. They could play any style of game that you want. To be on their side for a long time, it's been fun, just kind of fitting in and finding my role and being a part of that culture. There's a rich history. There's a standard that's set, and to be a part of that — I love that. I love being able to work toward something knowing that there's goals to be hit and anything short of it is unacceptable. Like I said, I'm excited for next season. It's a shame that we're doing this right now, at this point of the year but all in all, you learn from it, you move on, and you get ready for next year.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CHRIS WAGNER… On what bottom six and his line could have done better… Well, I think overall the year we could’ve done a better job keeping the puck out of our net. Personally, I’d like to score at some point too. I had a tough year in that aspect. What we’ll work on – I’m going to work on my skating and my hands like I do every summer, but maybe emphasize my skating a little more this summer. I’ll work on that and come back stronger.

On how difficult this year was with protocols and how excited he is to get back next year… I mean, for me personally, I definitely dealt with anxiety that I’ve never dealt with in my life. But then talking to guys, you realize that a lot of people are going through that. I mean, the whole world is, realistically, with COVID and stuff. Having fans back in the building, it made such a big difference, I thought, for everybody mentally. It makes it more fun to have that buzz around the city. I missed it so much. It definitely gave me a good taste and I can’t wait for next year to be normal.

On what he will do now… I’m going to start working out pretty quick because I’m getting married this summer. I’ll probably take a break around there to go on a quick honeymoon, so I’m going to try to stay in shape quickly instead of taking the month off that I might on other years just because I don’t want to fall behind the eight ball. Wedding’s a big deal so, yeah.

On if the offseason is different for him as a local guy… As far as hearing about it, yeah, you’ll probably hear about it a little more here. I don’t usually get people at Dunkin’ Donuts coming up to me and telling me I suck, or we suck. I only listen to the radio for a couple laughs here and there. I still think there’s more pressure being from here and being around people who want to talk about it when you probably don’t sometimes, but that’s what we sign up for and you just have to deal with it.

On if he feels an inner responsibility or if it stings harder since he’s a hometown guy… No, because we’re all a team. I think everybody cares as much as the next person. I would expect that people think about it and what they can do better, regardless of where they are. They’re going to want to train hard and come back in September and put their best foot forward.

On if he expects to do any planning for his wedding… I think we’re past that. Three venues in and it’s been a wild ride. I’m trying to sit back and enjoy it at this point. I think I got a tasting next week, to be honest. I wasn’t expected to go to it, but I can go to it now. I heard the only enjoyable part of the planning is the tasting.

On his respect level for Tuukka with what he’s dealt with… I think for him, he never really shows it around us. He doesn’t complain about anything really. He shows up and he’s like, “I’m sore,” and I’m like, “What’s wrong,” and he’s like, “Nothing.” I have a ton of respect for the guy. He’s been through a lot here. He’s one of the best goalies pretty much of all time. He’s still tough to score on in practice every day. He competes in games, so I have the utmost respect for that guy.

On how difficult it was being in and out of the lineup… It’s never easy. You want to play every game no matter what, but then when you go home and you think about it so much, it affects your home life, I think, well for me personally. It’s definitely depressing, and you don’t want to go through it, but there’s no real outlet in the middle of this year because we couldn’t do anything. I think it took a toll on me personally, but like I said, it’s the nature of the business and a lot of guys go through it. You’ve just got to come to the rink every day and work and try to work yourself back in the lineup.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CHARLIE COYLE… On his year and why it was difficult to gain traction... There's no set, correct answer, there's so many things that go into it. I obviously want to produce more and be a better player. Stuff happens and sometimes you lose consistency a bit. I just want to be a more reliable player and if I'm not putting up points, I'm still bringing my game and other elements to my team. That's what I've got to do.

On how tough the season was to be in lockdown early... It was a little different, but you just have to adjust. And you know, everyone else is going through it, too. So, you kind of just try to block it out and not use it as an excuse. Just do what you can, I think that's the best way to go about it. Stay positive about it and just worry about what you can control, I guess, and that's all. Things come up and I know it was a weird year but going to the bubble before — you're kind of ready for the unexpected and ready for whatever is thrown your way. It was a little weird, but you just have to work around it and do what you can. Can it take its toll? Yeah, it can a little bit. But everyone's going through it, so it's not an ideal situation but you've got to find a way.

On if not winning is more difficult when he's in Boston year-round... Maybe, it probably depends on the person. Sometimes it is kind of nice to get away from things. Especially, I remember two years ago when we lost and of course I was staying here, and I was kind of living elsewhere. Another part of Mass, and it was just nice to get out of the city and just get away. It stinks, really, it always does. It doesn't get too much easier, and we wish we were still playing. I think that's what makes playing here so great, the passion that everyone has and the fans. But when things go bad, and you end early, yeah, sometimes it's nice to venture away for a little bit. Go on a trip and unwind. I think it's healthy for you too, so you're not always thinking, thinking, thinking about this. I hope that answers your question a little bit.

On if anyone gives him a hard time... Not really hard times that I can think of, maybe I just block them out. Everyone's usually pretty nice around here. You can just tell how into it they are. People kind of are a little over the top, but I think that's just because of their passion for the game and they expect a lot around here. And that's where you want to play, is a place like that.

On Tuukka Rask getting criticized often... Tuukka's a pretty — I think that stuff kind of bounces off him, or at least it looks like it. The criticism he gets is just insane. It's got to be people who just don't watch closely or what, but we all know what Tuukka brings and how good he is. What he plays through, what he's done for us, what he's done for the organization. For anyone to criticize him is — I guess someone used the word 'bozo' before, so. It's just stupid. Tuukka's just one of the best goalies and he's been doing it for however long now, playing through stuff. Not most know what's going on behind the scenes and what guys go through, what he goes through, what he plays through. He does it, and he does it pretty well. We love Tuuks, we all know what he brings every day and I think Tuuks knows that and that's all we need.

On how much he wants this group to stick together and take another shot... We definitely do. That's what stings the most, you never know when you're going to play on a great team again. And we had a great team this year. We love who we have in here, we want to move forward with these guys. Of course we do. But to not follow through with it and come out and win the other end, when you're on a good team, you never know when that's going to happen again. You never know what's going to happen. Trades, this and that. Who knows? It's just another year taken away. You only play this game for so long, with so many opportunities. To not follow through with it with the group we had, it sucks, it does. What can you do from here? We'll move forward together here. There's always stuff that goes on and moves, but we love who we have, and we'll have to see what happens. But we love this group, and we know we can win.

On when he realized when they might lose the Islanders series... When the buzzer hits zero in Game 6. You never — it doesn't matter what the score is, we believe in here. We believe in this group. We've seen this group come back a number of times. Doesn't matter the score, doesn't matter the game. We're always giving it everything we've got. Sometimes a team plays better than you, sometimes they capitalize on opportunities. That's hockey. It's a lot of bounces here and there, and they played well. But you're never out of the fight. That's what you first start playing, you play until the final buzzer. That's how you go about it.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN MATT GRZELYCK… On where his head is in terms of the season and if it’s harder being a local guy staying home for the summer… I think it does a little bit, to be honest. Especially two years ago going to the Finals and you can’t really escape it a little bit. At the same time, fans are great. They’re extremely passionate. It shows that they really care, and they want to talk about the team. That’s part of it obviously. I’m just as disappointed as everyone else. It can be a little tough, a little bit of a distraction, but I think you just try your best to turn the page and start getting ready for next year as quick as you can.

On if being local has ever felt confrontational or if it’s more self-imposed pressure… No, I wouldn’t say confrontational. A lot of times it’s just people saying, “Hey, disappointed, but great season. Thank you for playing hard all year.” It’s usually positive, to be honest, at least in the experience that I’ve had. You get the occasional heckler a little bit, but that just kind of comes along with it. You just try to take it in stride as best you can.

On where he sees the future of the game on defense – faster, heavier, overall direction… I think for sure you’re seeing more and more kind of undersized guys being able to play in the league, as long as you can skate and make plays like you said. It seems like teams that win kind of have a blend of both, I’d say. You can’t be one or the other. Even if you are undersized, you’ve got to play bigger than you are. For those bigger guys, I think the ones that have a lot of success in the league, they can all really skate. They can all handle the puck and play big minutes. I think you have to just shape your overall game. You can’t kind of just bring one thing to the table, so I think that’s what we’re all working towards.

On what this year was like with injuries and COVID… I think the beginning was pretty tough for me. Got off to a pretty good start the first few games and then I just couldn’t skate. Had a little bit of a hip injury going on and kind of couldn’t escape that for a while. I kept trying to come back and it kept flaring up again. Once I got over that hurdle, I felt great out there and was able to contribute. Definitely proud of it for sure. Obviously disappointed in the moment, but I feel like I tried to take a step forward this year and obviously will continue to try to shape my game going forward. It was nice to get more of an opportunity to play more up in the lineup, something I didn’t want to take for granted for sure. Use this experience to fuel me this summer and come back bigger and stronger.

On what he sees in future of franchise and the veteran free agents… I feel great. I think we’re so blessed and lucky to have those guys, they’re tremendous leaders, they’ve been there before. Just how they handle themselves, they’re amazing pros. Coming up through the system, they’re unbelievable role models for us to try to emulate as best we can, obviously on the ice, but off the ice as well. I think that’s such a huge aspect in why this organization has so much success the past few years. The people we have and the relationships that we build, I think it directly translates to our on-ice play. That’s something that I’ve tried to take note of going forward and try to go more into that leadership role the longer I’ve been here. Those guys, I can’t say enough good things about them, they’re all unbelievable guys.

On lost opportunities to win the Cup… I wouldn’t say it’s something that I really hang my head on too much. Ever since I’ve been here, it seems like we’ve had a team that’s been really capable of going all the way, so I know I’ve been really spoiled in that aspect. I’m just speaking with other guys who come in, especially at the deadline and things like that over the years. I can’t really speak to that so far in my career, but I know that we have had special teams now for years. Obviously, it does get frustrating when you fall short of your goals, but I try not to dwell on it too much. Just do the best you can and hope for the best. Especially with these guys here, they’ve meant so much to the organization. We obviously want to win the Stanley Cup for them, so that’s a huge motivating aspect I think for some of the younger guys. I would say that not really dwelling over it too much.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD BRAD MARCHAND… On where they fell short against the Islanders... I think that we let them hang around in a couple games that I felt that we should have had. They're a very good team, they're very good at what they do and the way they play. They capitalize on opportunities and they're very strong defensively. They don't give up a whole lot. There were a couple games that I thought that we outplayed them, that we could have capitalized early on, and we didn’t, and it could have changed the series.

On his summer plans... Yeah, I'll go home, but obviously they're shut down right now. They’re pretty restricted back there. I’m not going to go back right away. I’m going to kind of hang around here for a little while and make my way back eventually when things start to open up a little bit more.

On getting out of the city after season… No, not so much. It has nothing to do with the way things end up. You’re not going to win every year. And I love being here. It’s more I just want to get back and see my family. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen them, and I want to get home. But that’s typically the routine we have for training and for skating. It’s what I’ve always done. I just like to go home in the summertime and that’s when I get the time to get home and see my family and my kids and my wife get to see the family and everything back there. That’s more what it is. It has nothing to do with the way things end up during the year. We love the city, and the fans are awesome and are so supportive. It’s got nothing to do with getting away from Boston.

On concern for the offseason… I'm not concerned. We have a group that wants to win every year and a management and coaching staff and ownership that want to be competitive every year. They're going to do everything they can in the offseason to make sure that the guys that they want back and to be competitive and all that. It's obviously out of my hands, but I have complete trust and faith in the management and ownership that they’re going to do whatever they can to make sure that we're a competitive team again next year.

On the feeling of opportunity lost… Yeah, very. I think that's the biggest thing you probably draw upon after the season is the opportunity that we had. Kind of where we fall short. How hard it is to get there. I think that's the biggest thing we continue to come back to. We had a great team this year and we felt like we could have gone all the way and we should have gone all the way, but that’s why winning a cup is so rewarding. And getting there is so rewarding. It’s because, how hard it is. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, it’s how you are able to come through in that time. It is tough to look at. You’re aging and I try not to look at how much longer I have left because I really don’t – obviously don’t know. But you look at the group around us and obviously guys are getting older. Again, it’s not something I try to dwell on, but facts are facts. We’re getting older every year. And who knows what’s going to happen with the core and obviously the guys are going to start moving on. And it’s tough, but like I said, the management group and coaching staff and ownership, they want to win so bad here that they’re going to do what they have to, to make sure that we’re a competitive team and that’s why I love being a part of this organization. Because they want to win just as bad as any player and they do whatever they can every year to make sure they we’re a competitive group. I know we will be again next year and I’m looking forward to that opportunity here.

On how difficult it was for the young guys to have to be in lockdown... There's no question that we're looking forward to next year. Getting back to normal games and travel routines and everything. It's tough to sit here and complain about the situation we're in because we’re in a good situation and we’re able to do our job and continue to play a sport at the end of the day and a game. But It's definitely tough, mentally. I think the biggest thing for the young guys is they’re alone all the time. Very, very secluded and when you go in from the rink, we weren’t allowed to do anything. They’re home all the time by themselves and again, very isolated. There is no family around. No friends, stuff like that. It was definitely very tough on them. On all of us. I think more on the younger guys and the single guys that have more of a life. But, again, it’s tough to sit here and say compared to the rest of the world, we were in a tough spot. Because we were still able to work and kind of do our jobs.

On the criticism Tuukka gets… Being a goalie is a tough job. They get all the praise when you win, and they get all of the heat when you lose and unfortunately that’s part of the job. Tuukks is the backbone of this team and he’s such a competitor. To battle through what he went through speaks volumes of where he wanted to compete and battle for this group, his desire to win. Those are the things that you don’t see behind the scenes. There are a lot of guys that were hurt and playing through injuries and stuff and catch a lot of heat. At the end of the day, that’s kept private and the respect that they gain amongst our group is astronomical when you’re willing to play and put yourself through pain and compete for the team and to win. That’s part of this organization and the culture here. I have a lot of respect for Tuukks and what he tried to put himself and his body through to win this year. It’s just unfortunate that we weren’t able to do it for him.

On being without Tuukka for the beginning of next season… That’s the unfortunate part of the business. Regardless of who’s in the group, the following year, you have to move forward. If Tuukks has to have surgery and whatever his situation is, we have a job to do and we want to win regardless of who is in net. We have complete faith in our group and the guys in front of Sway and Vladdy and Jaro or Tuukks or whoever is here. We’re going to compete and do our best to win. Regardless of the situation, it’s not my job to worry about. We all have to go out there and do the job. Regardless of who is in the group, we have to win, and that’s the only goal here.

On the his recovery from the offseason injury… I was very happy with the way that it progressed through the season and the way that it felt. It still really bothered me until probably about a month ago. And still a lot of recovery and healing that needed to be done. So, I’ll probably still take a little bit of time and continue to let it heal up. Because it does still bother me. But every year you try to find something that you can improve upon. It’s a little shorter offseason this year but I’ll try to continue to work on my game and be better and come back. That drive to win and to be better is still there. So, I’m going to work on it. I need to take some time and make sure that everything is feeling good.

On the next wave of the core… I feel really good about it. I think that they made huge strides this year. And they took some big steps and becoming leaders and kind of filling those roles and feeling a little more comfortable and getting more confident. That’s what you need to continue. You need that continuously; new energy and new players can come in and make a difference. We had that this year. You look at our back end especially, the way that they stepped up and filled those minutes, losing Zee and Torey. They did a great job. We need that to continue and keep improving year after year. That’s the thing, is it doesn’t matter one year. It’s how you continue to grow and continue to be better. We don’t want to take steps back in this organization. We expect a lot of those guys. They delivered this year. And we’re going to need, again, even more next year.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID PASTRNAK… On where the team fell short against NYI… Obviously, it was a good series. I think it really came down to a couple details at the end. I think Game 5 at home, I think we played pretty good, but maybe came short a little bit defensively. They got a couple goals. I think that was a big game. Obviously, you want to win all your home games. Then the last game, they were obviously sticking with their plan. It really came down to details in my opinion and we just came up a little bit short.

On the recovery from the hip surgery… The hip is actually great. Obviously, I had a little hiccup during the season with injury but played through and in playoffs I was 100% ready and healthy. Right now, obviously it’s been a pretty long season. Especially, how I said, I was recovering from a hip surgery all summer. Didn’t really have much training. Right now, I actually feel pretty good.

On if he ever hears about his Dunkin commercials from fans… It happens actually quite a lot. With Dunkin’ I have a great time every time we do stuff. I love working with them. It seems like people like it. The first-year commercial is definitely the biggest hit. What I hear about the refs on the street is probably the number one thing I hear the most outside the rink.

On how difficult this year was off the ice with protocols and lifestyle… It’s been challenging. It’s been a good challenge, but at the same time, there was pretty much nothing you can do about it, right? You just kind of put your head down and live through it. At the end of the year, it got way better. We got people in the building. Weather gets nicer, the patios opened up. It’s definitely been challenging but at the same time, the guys in the room make it easier. You hang out with them every day at the rink. It was definitely a different side of hockey. Is it as much enjoyable? No, obviously. But at the same time, as I said, there was nothing we could do about it. I just hope things it’s going to be over for next season and things go back to normal, to be honest.

On criticism Tuukka takes… It’s obviously not fun. You, as a hockey player, you know that the fans or even the media are going to bite off anything for criticism of you. That’s the same thing, you guys are doing your job just like we’re playing hockey out there. Obviously, I think Tuukka is one of the best goalies in the whole world and I definitely don’t think he deserves the criticism he’s getting. Just because he left on the family basis. Family comes as number one for every single person in the world. And the health is number one, no matter what you do and no matter what kind of business you are in. For us, I have a huge amount of respect for Tuukk’s and I definitely don’t think the criticism is right.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CHARLIE MCAVOY… On if he has any residual effects from the hit... Nope, doing alright.

On his season and his offensive game... Weird season, obviously with COVID and everything like that. I thought the team came together well, I thought we had a great team, great group of guys. It was unfortunate the way that it ended. I just tried to grow and continue to build as the year went. I think I started to pick up some steam there at the end and just wanted to play well. Do whatever I could to help the team. It's good, then lead into next year. Have a big summer and get ready to pick up where we left off.

On how much he missed Kevan Miller... It stinks, we missed him a lot. He's a big part of our team, the way he plays, the way he carries himself. Lots of respect for him, and it would have been nice to have him.

On what he's learned and what he'll work on in the summer... I'm definitely going to take a little bit of time here to digest this year. I'll probably be able to reflect better in a few weeks. Give my body a couple weeks to recuperate and then assess where I'm at physically and what my goals will be for the summer. I couldn't tell you right now, but I have a great group that I'm surrounded with as far as summer training goes and skating and all those things. So, we'll get together, and we'll get that figured out in due time.

On how hard it was mentally and how he feels about summer... It's been weird, it's been a weird last couple of years. It's good to get back and start on time again with a normal season and travel and all of that stuff, an 82-game schedule. It'll be good to get back into the swing of things in that regard. I'm looking forward to this summer, spending time with family and enjoying myself and getting ready for next year.

On the Palmieri hit and leaving the ice... It was mandatory, I had to take a concussion test. I had to go in and do that before I could come back. I didn't think it was necessary. It's done, it's over with.

On the hit not being penalized... I don't know, it wasn't penalized. It is what it is. It's over.

On Tuukka and his future... I don't know right now, to be honest with you. I think the chips will start to fall in a little bit. I think right now, everyone's just reflecting on the year. I'm not sure exactly what's going into that thought process or if they've already started talking and stuff like that. It'll get figured out. I know we all believe in Tuukks, he's one of the best goalies in the NHL, so it'd be great to have him back. I don't know, that's really it. I'm sure stuff will happen in due time; I think right now everyone's just trying to reflect on the year and then take some time. We'll see what happens.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD SEAN KURALY… On the year he had and his future… I think every year, you look back and try and recap for yourself how everything kind of went and I think I’m still in the middle of that process, kind of thinking about how it went. You always want to do more, there’s never a question. You always want to score more and do more, but I thought there were some positives and some things I definitely want to work on and get better at. All- around, you always want to improve. If you’re not getting better, you’re going to get left behind pretty quick. To me I come out of this year, and I think it’s more about, where can I improve? Where can I get better to help the team be a more successful team? I think as the days, weeks, months progress over the summer I’ll kind of get an even more clear picture of that.

On if there’s been contract talks… No. It was kind of something that I talked to my agent about and said we’ll leave it until after the year, so no, nothing from my end.

On what he takes coming away from the playoffs each year… It stings. It stings equally every time. We’ve had, I think it’s been five exits for me now. One good run and a couple of others. I think we’ve had some good teams, but I think what you learn is that it’s just such an opportunity each time you get there. When you get eliminated, you realize that these opportunities don’t come around all that often and they’re fleeting. You really want to take advantage of them, every one you get. I think that’s what I’ve learned the most, especially from the older guys in our locker room. These things don’t come around very often and they’re something you really try to take advantage of when you do get that opportunity because half the teams are watching right from the start.

On what he’s loved most about being a Boston Bruin… I love Boston. I love the city. I love the fans. I think the best part about this whole thing has been this group that we’ve had in this locker room. The teammates I’ve had here, it’s all I’ve known. I’ve only played here. I don’t know anywhere else. This is where I call my home in the NHL. There have been so many just good guys and great hockey players that I’ve been lucky enough to be teammates with here in that locker room. I think that’s the most special thing is the group that’s been put together in that locker room. I’ve learned so many lessons from guys that are still in the locker room now, hockey-wise, and just navigating your way through this league. You’ve got countless guys that have come through - The Backes’s, the Chara’s, the guys we still have of Krejci, Bergeron, Marchand. The list seems to go on and on and I’m excluding a few which I’ll think about after, I’m sure. Even guys I’ve been linemates with. I just think there’s been a lot of good people that I’ve run into here. That’s what I’m most thankful for from training staff to players to guys that are no longer on the team.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD NICK RITCHIE… On what he wanted to do better against the Islanders... Obviously, it was a hard-fought series, a lot of close games. Some games we thought that we could be on the right side of. A lot of credit to them, they're a really good team. I think they got us in the end and probably played their best game in Game 6. A lot of those series can go either way, and they got the best of it this time.

On the differences between the Islanders and Bruins... As far as — it was like the Washington series I guess, we were on the right side of that one. That was a physical series, and this was another physical series. I think a lot of teams in this division play that same kind of way. We played like that as well and I think we were comfortable in the game. It just didn't work out this time and they're a well-structured team. They got it done, I guess.

On uncertainty going into the offseason... I'm just going to take it, whatever happens. It's kind of a new thing for me and a lot of guys — I guess it happened with Vegas, but for me personally, it's different. We'll see how that happens and then obviously I want to play for the Bruins, so we'll see what the future holds.

On if he's talked to Ondrej Kase... We were pretty close in our time in Anaheim, and when we came over together that was awesome to continue to be teammates. I have talked to him and he's doing better, had a really tough go with the concussion and that kind of stuff. I think we're just hoping he can get back to playing hockey again at some point. I think that's his focus is just having a good offseason and feeling better for wherever he's playing.

On the difference between his first playoff series with the Bruins and if he plans on going back to Ontario... My second playoffs. I think this whole year was a lot better for me personally. Obviously, the playoffs didn't go how we expected, but I felt more confident and comfortable with the team. I will be going back to Ontario at some point, no rush. They're still kind of locked down, but I'll go back there at some point.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN JEREMY LAUZON… On what he learned in his first full season and his goals going forward… I think overall it was a pretty good season for myself. Obviously disappointing how the season ended. I think we had better expectations as a team. I think we really wanted to make a run here, but obviously I learned a lot about myself. I grew a lot during that season. I think just to be able to play a full season in the NHL, that was one of my goals. Obviously, it went pretty well, I think so overall, I’m really happy about it.

On where he wants to improve… I’m a primary defenseman that’s going to play hard and going to make sure that, in my zone, I’m going to play good. Obviously, I want to try to bring some more offense to my game, try to get some more shots on net, work on that blue line stuff in the O-zone. I think that’s one part that I want to improve in my game.

On how healthy he was throughout the series… Yeah, my hand, I was playing with a splint through the whole series in the second round. Obviously, I don’t think it was at 100 percent. Just came back from — I got a surgery after the first game in Washington. It was good enough for me to be able to play and play hard. Obviously, it wasn’t an injury that will make me not play in playoffs. I wanted to help my team win every night, so I battled through that. Overall, the hand felt sore, but it was good enough for me to play.

On if he’ll need more surgery now… No.

On losing Miller and Carlo, what added demands that put on the defense group… We all know that those two guys are a really big part of our defense. It hurt us, I think, for sure, losing them. But we tried our best. Every night we were battling and trying to help our team win. We wanted those guys to be able to be back in the next series or later, maybe Game 7, I don’t know where they were at with their injuries. For sure, it was a big loss for us.

On how difficult this year was from a mental standpoint… Obviously, it was a really hard season just because of COVID and all those protocols. Firstly, all my family was back in Canada. I haven’t seen them for a long time now. As a group I think we did a good job trying to connect and be able to create moments with each other and try to create that team chemistry, but obviously it was a weird season. I think overall it helped me grow into the player I am right now and grow into the person I am too. It wasn’t always easy, but it’s when you experience those hard times that you grow the most. If I’m talking about my game, overall, like I said, next year I’m going to come for the season and I’m still going to be the same defenseman. I’m going to be a good shutdown defenseman, hard down low, winning some pucks, but obviously I want to improve my game offensively. I think I do have that ceiling to be a little bit better on the blue line and put some pucks on net to try to create that offense that maybe this year I haven’t created as much. Just kind of work on that, work on my skating, and obviously I can’t wait for next season already.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID KREJCI… On his future and if he expects to keep playing with the Bruins... I’ve obviously thought about it a lot, not just the last couple of days but the whole season, pretty much. I'm not going to give you an answer right now. I’m going to need a few weeks, think about lots of things. Talk to lots of people. I love Boston. We’ll see what happens. See what happens.

On if there had been talks during the season... No, but it wasn't because of anything. It was just, let’s focus on this year. Let’s focus on making the playoffs. And playoffs, lets focus on making a run. It wasn’t because of anything else. It was just – and I didn’t want that. I wanted to focus on my game. But like I said, I’m going to need a few weeks and think about lots of things. But again, I love Boston. This is my home. I just don't see myself playing anywhere else. But at the same time, we'll see what happens.

On if he could play in Czech... You guys write a lot that I wanted to finish my career in Czech, which has not changed. But when I said that, I was younger. I’m a husband. I’m a dad, I have two kids. They’re getting older. So yes, I still, at one point, would like to finish my career in Czech – for different reasons now than when I first said it. I would like my kids to speak my language because my parents don’t speak any English. My kids don’t speak Czech. I would like them to learn the language. But again, when that's going to happen, or if that's going to happen, we'll see. I’m going to try to get away from the game a little bit now and think about lots of things. Spend some time with my family and just go from there.

On the thought of playing for another team under the right circumstances... It's not about money. I guess that's all I can tell you. My next deal is not going to be based on money. Did that answer your question?

On if it would be too weird to wear another sweater... Today, I can tell you, it's not going to be about money. And at the same time, I just can't see myself playing for a different team. We'll see what happens I guess. I don't even know. I talked to my parents, and they asked me, I can’t even give them a straight answer. I just don't know right now. I just don’t know.

On looking at Jagr’s experience and the allure of playing at home... I wouldn’t really compare myself to Jagr. He's not married, he has no kids. There’s nothing we have in common in that. I feel like, it’s the same thing. Obviously, I'm here now, trying to answer your questions about my future. And I don’t have that. And my future is, spend some time with my kids, my wife, get away. Do some nice vacation. I just can’t think of anything else right now because I don’t have anything else.

On playing with Smith and Hall... I obviously – when we did that trade and I got put together with Hallsy and Smitty, it was amazing. But it wasn't just on the ice. It was just such good guys, too, off the ice. Smitty's the nicest person ever, and Hallsy — I didn't know Hallsy at all before, but he surprised me – obviously we knew what kind of player he is, but he surprised me as a person. We would hang out a lot — like a lot, you know. Obviously, we didn’t end up accomplishing goals. We got close. I think we became really good friends. And that carries out on the ice as well. If you get good chemistry away from the game, then you come in the game and sometimes you don't have to say anything, you just know how the other person feels. It was great. I love playing with those guys. I love hanging out with those guys. I had lots of fun the last couple months for sure.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CONNOR CLIFTON… On defensive group without Carlo and Miller… It’s pretty evident that we missed them immediately after their departures. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have them. I think both of those guys are a huge part of our team and played in a lot of situations, especially PK. Those guys are just beasts back there, especially on the PK and we definitely missed them. So, it was really unfortunate.

On if things feel out of sync when that happens… Our mentality since I’ve gotten in this organization has been a next man up mentality. It is hard especially when you lose guys with their abilities. We did miss them.

On the expansion draft… I guess I wasn’t in the league when the Vegas expansion hit so it’s new territory to me. I don’t really know what to expect, take it day by day. I guess at the end of the day I’ll probably be left unprotected. It is what it is. I guess it’s part of the business. I love being a Bruin and I hope it remains as such.

On being teammates with Kevan Miller… I answered this a little earlier in the year, but nothing’s changed. His perseverance and his dedication to himself, to his family, it’s eye opening. He’s just such a great guy. Awesome to learn from. Especially this year. I wasn’t fortunate enough to spend too much time when Millsy was healthy a couple years prior. I think watching him play and take care of himself, it’s awesome for young players, especially for me.

On what the toughest part of the series was… I think the most frustrating thing was – whatever game it was, I think it was Game 5 – we played two really good periods, and 40 minutes into the game, we’re going into the second intermission down two goals. That’s just their style of play. They wear you down. They’re extremely hard and really good in front of their net. Getting pucks out. You play really well first two periods and you’re down two goals, it’s a little draining and that’s their style. It is what it is.

On Games two and four of the Islanders series… I thought we were in a great spot when we were up 2-1 and Game 4 ended up getting away from us. But they’re a really good team. It was a battle of a series. I think that Game 4 would’ve bene huge to win, right? We wouldn’t been up 3-1 and that’s not how it worked out. Can’t be dwelling on the things that didn’t happen.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD JAKE DEBRUSK… On being isolated during this season... This year was difficult. Obviously learned a lot, how to deal with COVID and all the things that come with it. I feel like everyone in the world can say the same thing. Coming home after road trips and stuff like that, day to day. I mean, isolation is the cute word everyone likes to use. I think I talked about a little bit earlier in the year, to be honest with you. It was difficult, I wasn't able to see my family. It was one of those things where it was just hockey all the time. Wasn't that great of a year. Like I said, I learned a lot and how to deal with that. It was just starting to get open and going here, so it was disappointing that we ended around this time. It's exciting and still a positive side to see that life's getting a little bit normal here. I think back home is starting to get going again, it was pretty shut down there, too. Just kind of take it step by step each day and go from there.

On residual effects from COVID... I felt healthy, I don't actually know for sure. I think I didn't have any major symptoms, if that makes any sense. I think the biggest thing was just timing, you have two weeks off and you're doing nothing. I'm used to moving around. Coming back from that was interesting, getting back into game form. Kind of sucked timing-wise, felt like I just started to get going. There were a couple setbacks this year for sure.

On what he thinks his game needs... I need to revamp some stuff. There were a lot of factors that went into this year. Things that I could control and couldn't control. I dealt with a lot of negativity as well. It's one of those things that it's something you have to learn, as you sign up. I'm a big boy, I can handle that, just became a little bit of an easy target. My haters had a lot to say this year. It's one of those things where, like I said, just have to revamp some things with training and different mindset. My mindset is an interesting place right now. Every year it's obviously different, disappointing obviously while hopes were high. I've disappointed myself, and my team. I'm looking forward to this year, I've got to prove a lot of people wrong.

On what the impact is and who the negativity comes from... I don't really know, if that makes sense. It just felt like there's a lot, one of those things where you just feel it. Not really putting it on anyone, but the one thing I learned is that you obviously play for your teammates and the people in this room. That's all that I really look for now, is just kind of doing it for the guy beside you.

On his summer plans... I'll be here. I'm going to be here for a bit anyways, I'm going to wait until there's better restrictions. I don't know if I want to quarantine again. So, I'm going to be here, in Boston, in the summertime. It's beautiful here and it's an amazing city. I'm going to take some time away from the game though. I usually do anyways. But I'm probably just going to lay low for a little bit here, and then go out. I'm not really sure, I haven't thought about scheduling or when the next season will start or anything like that yet, so still pretty new.

On the criticism Tuukka Rask faces... There's passionate fans here, I've felt a good side of that too, I felt that positivity, I guess you could say. It's not too much of an issue, it's just part of the job. You can look at other teams too, look at other players on other teams. Maybe it's worse, maybe it's not. That's out of my control and honestly, I don't know those people, so it's not really a huge issue for me. But definitely looking to change that.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN MIKE REILLY… On his contract expiring and what his feelings are of Boston… I think it’s mutual right now, between us, to try and get something done. I definitely want to stay here, for sure. There’s been some talks, but since day one it’s been an easy transition for me to come in and just get used to everything, how they run the ship down here. It’s been great so far, and hopefully stuff can work out.

On his impressions of Kevan Miller… I only played with him for a little bit, but I can tell you he’s an unbelievable teammate. So well- respected in the room, and whenever he talks, guys listen. I think you miss him for sure, and obviously Carlo as well. It’s too bad for him, because he might be the hardest working guy in the room. He just cares so much about the team and the way he competes and battles every single night is – we definitely missed him. I know he’s for sure bummed out that he couldn’t have a role in the last couple of games, and I definitely think he could have helped for sure. He just brings a presence to him that a lot of guys can’t bring.

On his type of play against the Islanders… I think for me, I try to break the team out as best as I can. If I can do that, we’re going to play less in the D-zone, and you’re going to play the puck more and get to join the rush in the O-zone for sure. If you can break the puck out and try to be as crisp as you can, there’s going to be less issues in your own zone. Obviously, the Islanders are a heavier team that, they have some guys that just want to be physical and it’s easy for them to go out against skilled guys and try to break the puck out. You want to try to get out from them as quick as you can, and if you get by those guys with good passes, they’ll get frustrated. They’re just going to keep on coming. But I feel good, and I think half the battles were the position you’re putting yourself into when you’ve got the forecheckers coming in on you, you don’t have to take a big hit every single time. Just come out thinking a little bit and put yourself in positions to succeed. I thought I did that, I’m glad I was able to play in the playoffs here. I don’t think any of us thought we’d be in this position right now, especially early on in that series. Just the way things were going, I don’t think there’s one person in that room right now that expected that. It’s disappointing, but obviously a lot of good things have happened, and it just shows you how one game and a goal or two can change momentum. It’s crazy. Guys are frustrated in here and I know some guys are getting older, but it’s an unreal group in here.

On where he felt like the team lost the Islanders series… Obviously, Game 1, we 100 percent deserved to win that. You could make the case for Game 2, obviously they got a roll at the end of the game and then in overtime that kind of flipped play, one might have gone off the stick in that game. That happens. The Islanders are an opportunistic team, and you see the Barzal goal late in that one game, he hits it out. You could point a finger and be like, oh, they got some breaks like that, off the skates or whatever. But at the end of the day, they got the job done. We can complain all we want about the refs and the goals off skates, sticks, whatever. But it’s just a little disappointing for sure. Guys in this room have done this for a long time for sure, and I think we can do that.