The Boston Bruins announced on Wednesday that they had fired general manager Peter Chiarelli, according to NHL.com.
"We are grateful for Peter's service to the Bruins organization over the last nine seasons," Bruins president Cam Neely said in a statement. "His efforts undoubtedly helped the team achieve great success during his tenure and he helped restore the proud tradition of Boston Bruins hockey.
"We ultimately feel that this change is necessary in order to ensure sustainable success for the club both in the short term and the long term. Our search for a new general manager will begin immediately."
Chiarelli had been at the helm of player-personnel for the Bruins since the 2006-07 season which, coincidentally, is also the last time the NHL's Boston franchise missed the playoffs.
The Bruins finished the 2014-15 season just two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card playoff spot in the East, but with a roster absolutely bursting with high-quality talent, the close finished didn't seem to be enough for Neely and Bruins chief executive officer Charlie Jacobs.
According to NHL.com's report, Neely and Jacobs will lead the search for a new GM.
Chiarelli helped bring the Bruins a Stanley Cup championship in 2011, joining Art Ross and Milt Schmidt as the only GM's to have ever done so. During his tenure, the team also garnered a Presidents' Trophy in 2013-14 and a Cup Final appearance in 2013.
It's hard to know what went on behind the scenes that made this move come to fruition, but one could certainly point to the Tyler Seguin trade to the Dallas Stars - a deal which looks incredibly lopsided in hindsight, considering Seguin's blossoming and the limited contributions of players like Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith and Joe Morrow for the Bruins.
There are also the deals that sent dour problem-child Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009 and Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders just prior to this past season to consider when attempting to understand Chiarelli's dismissal.
Chiarelli's overall regular season record as the Bruins general manager was 386-233-85 and his teams topped the 100-point mark four times and reached the playoffs seven straight seasons.
