More on the Bruins
	Team page '00-01 Schedule '99-00 Results '99-00 Roster '99-00 Team stats Message board

The Bruins were supposed to jump into the realm of the NHL elite last season. But because of holdouts and a lot of bad karma, Boston took a giant step backward and didn't make the playoffs. ESPN.com takes a Closer Look at Boston in '99-00 and what it needs to get better next season.

Season Review: Bye bye Bourque

	Bourque

The most graphic image of the season was seeing Ray Bourque in a Colorado uniform. What bordered on ridiculous was that many Boston fans were more interested in the Avalanche than the Bruins late in the season. Who could blame them?

Goalie Byron Dafoe was a holdout, and when he returned his play was clearly nowhere near his incredible numbers from the previous season. His GAA went from 1.99 to 2.97, and his save percentage from .926 to .899. That is a huge swing. Then, there's Jason Allison who was limited to 37 games and eventually had surgery on both wrists, ending his season.

Because of other injuries, the Bruins didn't have much more than good AHL players on their lower lines. Joe Thornton continued to progress, and when Anson Carter was in the lineup, he was productive, albeit streaky. Former Calder Trophy winner Sergei Samsonov had a quasi-down year with just 19 goals.

And then, there was Bourque. He looked tired and old as the Bruins continued to lose games. But when he went to the Avs, it was clear that the Bruins' talent level and lack of passion negatively affected his game. He was minus-11 in 65 games with Boston and plus-9 in just 14 games with Colorado.

The Open Market: Good luck Harry
Defense and goaltending are taken care of. Don Sweeney is back, after inking a three-year deal. Peter Popovic and Paul Coffey will each help in their own way. Coffey was a strange signing, but he showed flashes of his old self last season -- probably some of the better stretches he'd had in years. Coffey is a risk, but with Bourque's departure, a proven puck-mover was needed.

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Anson Carter, Sergei Samsonov, Joe Thornton. Signings/offseason acquisitions: Elias Abrahmson, Shawn Bates, Paul Coffey, Mikko Eloranta, John Grahame, Andrei Kovalenko, Eric Manlow, Cameron Mann, Eric Nickulas, Peter Popovic, Andre Savage, Don Sweeney.

Up front, the signings have been organizational stocking stuffers, and the major presents remain on the shelf. Between Thornton, Samsonov and Carter there's sure to be at least one ugly holdout, especially with GM Harry Sinden's thrifty ways. Carter might have already made a trade the only option because it's so obvious that the two sides have major disparities concerning his worth. Get ready to read more preseason contract stories than on-ice features.

How to improve: Get it done, for once
Sinden shouldn't overpay for anyone, but it would be nice to see how good this team could be with everyone in place. A leader needs to step up in Bourque's absence; Carter and Thornton are stellar candidates, but no one leads from the couch at home. The Bruins were not as good as people thought last season, but they were a playoff-caliber team.

Dafoe should be better, but it's an unknown whether he can regain his '98-99 form.

If the players aren't in on time, and the team starts losing, coach Pat Burns might be gone before Christmas.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.