The Boston Bruins have a flawed roster. General Manager Don Sweeney even admitted that before the 2024-25 season began by saying that the team was short a winger. After 18 games, the team might be shorter than that, honestly. Boston has issues offensively, defensively, and in special teams play. Other than that, everything is fine. But what about coaching? Can some of the responsibility for inconsistent play and undisciplined, uncharacteristic mistakes be placed on the head coach, Jim Montgomery? Maybe it is time to analyze whether the coach has some influence on the poor execution and results the Bruins are generating this season. Is Montgomery pushing the right buttons to get the most out of his team?
Montgomery joined the Bruins before the 2022-23 season and inherited a deep roster with seasoned veterans who would achieve the best regular season in National Hockey League history with 65 wins. By his admission, Montgomery would marvel about how the team coached itself in a lot of circumstances and also seemed to stay out of the way as the club lost just 12 games. Then there was the first-round series with the Florida Panthers that began with a 3-1 series lead and ended with a shocking seventh-game loss at home. The season was over, and Montgomery admitted to making mistakes that he regretted.
The next season, the Bruins would lose again to Florida, this time in the second round, and could not seem to solve the Panthers’ aggressive forechecking style. Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney added size and heaviness to the lineup this past offseason and the changes in personnel do not seem to match up to Montgomery’s quick-moving style. The result has been an 8-8-2 start through the first 18 games and questions about whether Montgomery could be let go at any time. Several players are underperforming, the power play and penalty kill have been among the worst in the league, and five-on-five play has been a struggle. But how much of the slow start is on the coach?
Montgomery was not responsible for the roster moves, but he is responsible for the lack of discipline and poor execution from his team. The coach’s function is to have his players feel prepared and confident and in many cases, the team takes on the personality of the coach. Lately, Montgomery has screamed at captain Brad Marchand on the bench, benched David Pastrnak for an entire third period, and most recently, hung goaltender Jeremy Swayman out to dry in a 7-2 loss to Dallas. Montgomery also told the media to find the answers themselves after a recent loss and has spent quite a bit of time standing at the bench with little expression or reaction.
Jim Montgomery looks and sounds defeated and with no contract extension currently is the perfect lame-duck coach. At this point, the team is floundering with a roster that needs help. But the coach does not seem to be helping at all either as he waits for what might be the inevitable…a firing, sooner than later. And frankly, it might be time right now.
Season 4. Episode 39. The Off Season – Bruins Benders Podcast
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