After failing to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season, one could sense changes coming to the Boston Bruins. Would it be General Manager Peter Chiarelli? Would it be head coach Claude Julien? Could it be both?

Well, we got one answer on Wednesday.

Shortly before 11:00 a.m., the Bruins announced that they have relieved Peter Chiarelli of his duties as General Manager.

What will come next is anyone’s guess.

Hours after the news broke on Wednesday, team President Cam Neely and CEO Charlie Jacobs met with the media to address everything from Chiarelli’s firing to Julien’s future to the state of the Bruins roster.

For the time being, Julien is safe as no decision has been made. But that all could change once a new General Manager is hired.

“It hasn’t fully been made, and we met with Claude this morning, Charlie and I, and we told him that we really believe that once we go through the exhaustive search to find the next general manager that we will leave it up to that GM to decide what he wants to do with our coaching staff,” Neely said during the press conference that lasted nearly 30 minutes. “Claude certainly understood that, but that’s where we left it.”

Despite how Bruins fans feel about Julien and his system, credit needs to be given where credit is due. When Julien entered the fold prior to the 2007-08 season, the B’s were at the bottom of the barrel in the National Hockey League.

Slowly, but surely, Julien brought the Bruins back to relevance, making them a top team in the league the past several seasons. Winning a Stanley Cup in 2011 before almost capturing another one in 2013, Julien has been a key to the Bruins success.

But sometimes in sports, changes are needed. Whether or not Julien becomes one of those changes remains to be seen.

Related: Internal or external? Bruins face big decision with new GM vacancy

“Having been through this process before, when we transitioned from Mike O’Connell to Peter [Chiarelli], it was part of the interview process. It was a question that was asked of all the candidates. But in all candor, in order to find the best candidate, you have to give them the freedom to make those decisions on their own,” Jacobs said in regards to the process of the new General Manager handling Julien’s future.

“They have to arrive at their own conclusions, without prejudice from management. That’s how you allow them to fulfill their duties to the best of their abilities. So yes, it will be part of the process; we will certainly say, ‘We think we have a good coach, we’d like to hear you input on it; the decision is ultimately yours, new GM.’”

In most cases, a new General Manger comes in and cleans house, starting with the head coach. Until a new GM is hired and gets the chance to meet with Julien, things may be a bit uneasy for the Bruins bench boss.