Someone had to be accountable for the Bruins’ failure to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2014-15. Ultimately, the person whose job was under the most scrutiny, Peter Chiarelli, became the fall guy as the B’s relieved him of his General Manager duties after nine years on the job.

Three scouts were also removed from their positions: Amateur Scouts Mike Chiarelli and Denis Leblanc and Head European Scout Jukka Holtari.

Chiarelli’s axing is the most noteworthy of the two transactions the Black and Gold made on Wednesday. But as Cam Neely and Charlie Jacobs answered questions about the decision, their search for a replacement is only just beginning.

A search that will include internal and external candidates.

“Both,” Neely said when asked about the potential replacements coming internally or externally. “We’re going to take our time and go through the process and make a decision that’s best for the organization.”

The comments Neely and Jacobs made during Wednesday’s press conference will be taken with a grain of salt. There were some interesting points though.

From the failure of Chiarelli’s drafts during a three-year period (from 2007-2009), to some of the questionable contract extensions – like Reilly Smith – and trades – Tyler Seguin and Johnny Boychuk – one might suggest the Bruins will look for someone outside of the organization to get the team back on track for another playoff run in 2015-16.

On the ice, the Bruins struggled to generate offense, had troubles turning the puck over, were slower in transition and weren’t as physical compared to year’s past.

Other comments, including one that suggests the Bruins aren’t in “rebuilding mode”, suggests that they could look within their own organization for Chiarelli’s replacement.

“I don’t think we’re looking for a large or complete rebuild,” Neely said. “I think we have a good core of players that have great character. To a man, most of them admitted that they had an off-year this year, and we think that group is still good enough to compete for championships. The one difficult thing is where we are against the cap, and that’s going to be a difficult thing to manage.”

What happens with the roster remains to be seen. In the short term, Claude Julien’s fate as head coach will be decided by the next GM. An internal choice means he likely stays, an external choice could put the writing on the wall.

This is the same scenario that happened in Pittsburgh after they departed with GM Ray Shero and coach Dan Bylsma last year. Shero’s name was linked to the vacant B’s GM spot immediately following Chiarelli’s firing.

It’s a situation that the Bruins were in before when they fired Mike O’Connell back in 2006. Mike Sullivan was later relieved of his duties by Chiarelli.

“Having been through this process before when we transitioned from Mike O’Connell to Peter, it was part of the interview process,” Jacobs said. “It was a question that was asked about all of the candidates.

“But in order to find the best candidate, you have to give them the freedom to make those decisions on their own. They have to arrive to their own conclusions without prejudice from management. That’s how you allow them to do their duties to the best of their abilities.”

Whether it’s Shero, Don Sweeney or any other person who fills the GM role, they’ll have to make decisions quickly about Julien’s coaching staff and comprise the personnel for next season.

One thing that is for certain, Neely has no interest in the job and won’t micromanage.

Still, whoever fills the role will have some big shoes to fill. Even with Chiarelli’s questionable moves that led to the B’s demise in 2014-15, his track record is quite impressive. And it’s why the now former Bruins General Manager will likely be having the same duties for one of the vacated GM spots in the National Hockey League.