Bruins coach Julien will 'absolutely' return next season

Claude Julien isn't going anywhere.

Despite missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the Boston Bruins have decided to retain the services of the winningest head coach in club history, general manager Don Sweeney announced Wednesday.

Assistant coach Doug Houda, however, will not be returning.

Sweeney said he and Julien met extensively over the past few days, both privately and with the players. The goal was always to work together to figure out what went wrong down the stretch and how to get back on track next season.

"I emphatically believe that Claude can take us through what has been a bumpy transition period," Sweeney said. "I have work to do."

"I want to be here," Julien added when asked if he considered moving on. "I want to bring this team back to where we had it."

The coach also believes the team was good enough to make the playoffs this season, but, as evidenced in a season-ending loss to Ottawa, the foot was taken off the gas too often.

"It’s pretty obvious we failed on numerous occasions with some big games (mentioned Winter Classic)," he said. "Our consistency wasn't there."

It's on the defensive end that the Bruins struggled the most. Despite boasting a fifth-ranked offense with 240 goals scored, the Bruins allowed 230 goals, slotting them 19th among all teams. The only team to boast a positive goal differential and miss the playoffs, the defensive lapses that caused the team to drop points along the way ultimately pushed them down the standings.

Sweeney added he will not contemplate a major overhaul of the roster, focusing instead on organizational depth and integrating young players into the everyday lineup.

GM and coach will spend the summer working together in hope of ending the two-year playoff drought. Team CEO Charlie Jacobs and president Cam Neely are scheduled to hold their annual season-end press conference April 20.