Head coach Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Based on chatter coming out of Toronto at the Hall of Fame inductions, where some NHL general managers were ahead of the NHL GM meetings, there is a common belief that the Boston Bruins could be on the verge of a ‘big’ change.
“Just be on the lookout. People are starting to leak,” a well-placed, NHL executive replied to RG when asked about the Bruins on Sunday.
The big question now seems to have shifted from “Will the Bruins make a shake-up move" to “When and What will that move be?”
Will that mean firing head coach Jim Montgomery, who is not even two full seasons removed from winning the 2023 Jack Adams Award? Or could it mean a trade?
Looking to Shake Things Up
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was recently on the road scouting for Hockey Canada and the upcoming Four Nations Faceoff, which will be played in Montreal and Boston this coming February. However, he also multi-tasked as he scouted potential solutions for the Bruins.
“He is looking for help, make no mistake about it,” the aforementioned NHL executive source said of the Bruins GM.
“It’s no secret that he wants a scoring winger for the top-6, but don’t be surprised if he snags another top-6 center. Are we talking about a legit No. 1 center? Probably not because those are hard to find on the trade market, but maybe a 1B like they already have in Lindholm.”
Numerous sources had confirmed to RG late last week that one team Sweeney was talking to was the Columbus Blue Jackets, with one NHL executive saying that the Blue Jackets had an interest in Bruins veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo. With the Blue Jackets claiming former Boston University defenseman Dante Fabbro off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, those talks are likely shelved for now.
However, another NHL source claimed that the Bruins were also talking to the Utah Hockey Club and the Anaheim Ducks. With regards to the latter, one player who is once again looking like he may be on the way out in Anaheim is forward Trevor Zegras, who is off to a putrid start (1g, 2a, 14 games), and just can’t seem to buy into the aggressive forecheck and two-way system that Ducks head coach Greg Cronin wants him to play in. As I tweeted on Sunday, one NHL scout sarcastically asked me this on Sunday:
A Coaching Change?
Zegras is still playing in the NHL, but there seems to be a good chance that it won’t be for the Ducks much longer. Could Sweeney try to bring the former Boston University star back to Boston?
Or does Sweeney decide to make a major change internally and specifically behind the bench?
The Bruins were out-shot 12-0 in the third period and blew another third period lead en route to a 3-2 overtime loss to former Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. That left the Bruins at 7-7-2 as they embark on a two-game road trip to play the St. Louis Blues this week. Following the game, Montgomery was at a complete loss for words and unable to explain what had happened to the roster he and the Bruins team brass felt could compete for the 2025 Stanley Cup.
Montgomery said he doesn’t think his message has gone stale, but answers like that are never a good sign for a head coach. The sense is Sweeney won’t wait much longer to either make a coaching change or shake up the team via a trade.
James Murphy
With 24 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, ESPN Boston, NESN, NHL.com, etc.) covering the Bruins, the NHL, NCAA and junior hockey, and more, Jimmy Murphy’s hockey black book is filled with Hall of Famers, current players, coaches, management, scouts and a wide array of hockey media personalities that have lived in and around this great game. For 22 of his 24 years as a hockey and sports reporter, Murphy covered the Bruins on a daily basis, including their victorious 2011 Stanley Cup run and their runs to the 2013 and 2019 Finals. Murphy is currently a co-host, along with Pierre McGuire, on The Eye Test Podcast.
