Looking back at the Boston Bruins' 2000-01 season, the cup is either half full or half empty. The team finished six games over .500 -- a 12-win and 15-point improvement over the previous season -- and captain Jason Allison picked a good time (can you say contract year?) to play all 82 games and set career highs in goals, assists and points (36-59-95). The team also endured an early season coaching change when Mike Keenan replaced Pat Burns and a makeshift goaltending situation until Byron Dafoe could stay healthy enough to play a consistent string of games.

However, the Bruins found themselves out of the playoffs having won two fewer games than Carolina. Since true NHL success is judged by the postseason, the storied franchise -- and the high-expectation Boston fans -- considered the season a failure.

	2000-01 by the numbers
	Record: 36-30-8-8, 88 points (T17 overall, T8th East, 4th Northeast) Man-games lost to injury: 322 (5th) Goals for: 227/2.77 (15th) Goals against: 249/3.04 (25th) Differential: -22 (19th overall) 20-goal scorers: Joe Thornton (37), Jason Allison (36), Bill Guerin (28), Sergei Samsonov (29) 50-point scorers: Allison (95), Guerin (63), Samsonov (75), Thornton (71), Brian Rolston (58)

Looking at next season
The Bruins will enter the 2001-02 season with another new coach. At the end of the season, general manager Mike O'Connell decided not to retain Keenan. Yet, instead of making the assumed promotion of assistant Peter Laviolette, O'Connell hired Massachusetts high school hockey legend and deposed Devils head coach, Robbie Ftorek. Ftorek is a risky choice. Success in the win column aside, he rode his players hard in New Jersey, and the team underachieved until he was fired with eight games left in the 1999-2000 season. His replacement, Larry Robinson, took the same team all the way to a Stanley Cup.

O'Connell, trying to place his stamp on the team after taking over for Harry Sinden, cannot be faulted for lack of effort this offseason. He tried valiantly to land Jeremy Roenick, but the free agent opted for Philly and a better chance to win the Cup. O'Connell responded by overpaying right wing Martin Lapointe, who will average over $5 million for four seasons. He also signed left wing Rob Zamuner and defenseman Sean O'Donnell, who will make $7.5 million over three years.

The money allocated to Lapointe has made it difficult to re-sign restricted free agents Jason Allison and Bill Guerin. It's no coincidence that Allison raised his asking price to the $9 million range since Lapointe cashed in after his first career 20-goal season in 2000-01. The situation between Allison and the Bruins could get ugly. By not filing for arbitration, Allison's only other leverage option is a protracted holdout, which might result in a trade. Guerin, however, did exercise his arbitration rights and is guaranteed to be in training camp.

Allison's on-ice presence is important not only because he was the team's points leader but also because the Bruins are thin at center. After Allison and Joe Thornton, who scored a career high 37 goals in '00-01, the Bruins have next to nothing in the middle. If O'Connell trades Allison, it's a guarantee that one of the players involved would be a centerman, although it's doubtful it would be one of equal value.

While Lapointe and Zamuner add depth to the wings, the area which could use the most improvement next season is defense. O'Donnell might not be as fluid with the puck as Eric Weinrich, but he plays a gritty and tough game to go along with underrated skills, despite his average postseason performance for the Devils. In trading Cameron Mann to Dallas, the Bruins acquired Richard Jackman, a 6-foot-2 blueliner. Jackman is just 23 and still has a great chance to develop into a solid NHL defenseman. If Darren Van Impe can return to form after missing 51 games due to a shoulder injury, Boston's defense should be more competitive.

The wild card for Boston is in goal. Dafoe, who has had recurring knee and hamstring problems the last two seasons, started 130 games over the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons and won 62. Since then, Dafoe has started 85 games, and the Bruins haven't had a solid backup to fill the void when he is out. Last season, John Grahame was expected to be the answer before he broke his ankle during the preseason. As it stands, Dafoe's health must hold up if the Bruins stand a chance at making the postseason.

If the Bruins can assemble adequate personnel, a key ingredient to their success will be the relationship between Ftorek and Guerin, who played under Ftorek in New Jersey's organization. Keenan was fired by O'Connell, not the players -- especially Thornton, who posted the best offensive numbers of his career under Iron Mike. Ftorek said during his press conference in Boston that he has learned from what happened in New Jersey, meaning he may be able to manage with a softer hand when necessary. Whether Allison leaves or not, Guerin is a leader in the locker room. If Guerin supports Ftorek's system and style, Thornton and Co. will follow.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com.