The fans have spoken with The Athletic's front office confidence rankings

''The public rates Boston as a top-10 team by cap management, likely focusing on the team's sweetheart deals, while the Bruins fan base ranks the team 24th, perhaps focusing on the few bad deals.''

''Part of the disconnect is what the Bruins could have been. Much of the core was already in place and what the current regime has done to augment that simply hasn't been good enough. It's why the 2015 draft continues to haunt the fan base — a particular sore spot for many who left a comment. Yeah, the Bruins are good but how good would they have been with Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Thomas Chabot, too? That's the problem here.''