When Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli speaks, it helps to have the ability to read between the lines. Like any GM, Chiarelli isn’t going to come right out and say what he is going to do. But, there are clues, whether it is the inflection in his voice, what he emphasizes or repeats through a press conference or the subtle hints he lays along the way. With that, when Chiarelli said on Tuesday “we will make some changes,” one has to believe those words are a stronger statement than just saying he plans on making tweaks to his lineup. “As a manager, you try and keep it on an even keel. You take away the positive things, you take away negative things and you try and improve and you move forward. So having said that, I did feel that variance between the ups and downs were too much, so we will look to make some changes,” Chiarelli said. “We’ll go through the normal process of meeting with our pro scouts, meeting with Claude and his staff, and

Now come the questions. Does Peter Chiarelli fire Claude Julien on Tuesday? Do Jeremy and Charlie Jacobs decide to axe Chiarelli before the draft? What do you do about Tim Thomas? Following one of the greatest choke jobs in American sports, some type of shake up of the Bruins is warranted. A complete purge? Probably not —there are still things to like about this roster. They are deep at center and defense and have a great young goaltender who should rebound after struggling against the Flyers. In addition, when all was said and done Julien is a coach who made the most of his team. Julien nor Chiarelli shouldn’t be going anywhere, as both signed contract extensions last year and it’s hard to imagine the Jacobs wanting to eat those contracts a year after signing them. But, there are parts of the roster that need to be altered. Chiarelli needs to take a good look at his group of forwards and decide who fits and how he wants the group to look when the first puck is dropped

After a weekend to let the biggest playoff collapse in Bruins history sink in, we’re ready to take a look at the Bruins’ season in review, a year that started with high hopes of a potential dominant Stanley Cup contender. However, that optimism waned after a lengthy losing streak, but returned with a surprising playoff run that ended unceremoniously at the hands of the Flyers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Friday. The portents for the year really start last summer: Phil Kessel, the young but disgruntled sniper who scored 36 goals for the 2008-09 Bruins, didn’t want back in the Bruins dressing room. Whether that was because he did not get along with Claude Julien or some of the players on the roster has never really been figured out. Kessel was shipped to the Maple Leafs on Sept. 18, 2009 for Toronto’s 2010 first- and second-round picks as well as its 2011 first-round pick. Boston fans were up in arms over the whole Kessel debacle, but the

That is a fitting end to one of the most frustrating seasons in the history of the Boston Bruins. They were expected to be Stanley Cup contenders. By January they appeared unlikely to see the playoffs. Last week it looked like the nightmare had ended and there was at least an Eastern Conference finals appearance to hang their hats on. Then came Game 7. In the first period, it looked like Boston -- which had squandered a 3-0 series lead by dropping three straight to Philadelphia -- had finally put the Flyers behind them. The Bruins had a 3-0 lead before the 15-minute mark on the strength of two Milan Lucic goals. Then, they sat back and watched the Flyers come all the way back to claim a 4-3 victory that ended the B’s season on Friday at TD Garden. In the end, a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty served as the perfect villain. “I don't know how the hell that happened,” Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk said. “It is just shock right now. Disappointment. Good