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The Boston Bruins are not the team that set NHL records last season for wins (65) and points (135). That was a team that nearly everything went right for in the regular season and then fell flat on its face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Head coach Jim Montgomery had to deal with the disappointment of unfulfilled expectations in the postseason, and weeks after the season ended in ignominious fashion, the Bruins said goodbye to their top 2 centers.
Future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron, a six-time winner of the league's Selke Award as its best defensive forward, retired after a brilliant career. Shortly thereafter, David Krejci retired as well, and that was another huge blow.
Krejci was always solid in all areas, and almost always stepped up in a big way on the offensive end in the postseason.
In addition to losing those two stalwarts, the Bruins had to move on from Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno, largely for salary-cap reasons. Both are playing for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24.
The Bruins also lost notable players including Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Connor Clifton and Garnet Hathaway. All of those players with the exception of Clifton were trade-deadline acquisitions.
New players have a chance to contribute
With so many players leaving the Black and Gold in the offseason, it meant that new players had the opportunity to make the team in training camp for Montgomery.
As training camp played out, three of the youngsters stood out. They included defenseman Mason Lohrei, who had been a full-fledged star during his college career at Ohio State, former Michigan center Johnny Beecher, who had played for Providence of the American Hockey League last season and Matthew Poitras, a 2022 second-round draft pick.
Lohrei clearly has a big-time future with the Bruins, but he will start the season at Providence. Most observers don't expect him to be there very long.
Beecher and Poitras both made the varsity and were in the Opening Night lineup against the Blackhawks. Beecher is big, fast and has demonstrated excellent defensive skills while his offensive game is a work in progress.
Poitras was invited to training camp to show what he could do, but expectations were muted. However, from the moment of his first practice, he impressed executives, coaches and players with his skills, effort and impact on the team.
Poitras may become a breakout star
The 19-year-old Poitras from Ajax, Ontario is just big enough at 5-11 and 185 pounds to withstand the rigors of the NHL on a regular basis. In the season opener, all eyes were on Chicago rookie sensation Connor Bedard, and he scored the first goal of his career against the Bruins.
However, Poitras did not shy away from the competition as he was a going concern all night in Boston's 3-1 triumph. He recorded his first NHL point by assisting on the Bruins' first goal — a deft deflection by Trent Frederic — and he had several other scoring opportunities throughout the game.
While one game does not make a career or a season, Poitras had an excellent first night in the NHL.
The young center was thrilled to have the opportunity to play in the opening game, and he has spent much of his time trying to convince himself that he belongs at the NHL level.
“For me, I think it’s just telling myself: ‘I belong here, and I believe that I can play at this level,’” he said. “So I’m just going to be confident. I’ll play my game. I’m not going to go out of character and do a lot of things that haven’t helped me get here.”
Playing smart hockey is perhaps his biggest asset. Poitras is able to anticipate where the next play will be and he can get to that spot and make the right play either with the puck or defensively. While he certainly has a long way to go, it is somewhat reminiscent of the way Bergeron played throughout his career with the Bruins.
Nobody understood more about Bergeron's game than his long-time linemate Brad Marchand, who inherited the captain's position from his confidante and friend. Marchand believes that Matthew Poitras has the talent to become a solid player in the NHL.
“I really like him. He’s a really good kid,” Marchand said. “He’s just seems like he’s never under pressure. The game doesn’t move too fast for him. He has all the attributes to be a great player in this league, and we’ll see how it plays out.”
The Bruins will have the opportunity to return Poitras to junior hockey if the first 9 games of his career don't go well. But based on his play in training camp and the 2023-24 season opener, he will be with the Bruins for a long time.
