How the return of Bergeron impacts the Bruins’ plans next season

With the return of team captain Patrice Bergeron and the hiring of head coach Jim Montgomery, the Bruins’ plans are starting to look more transparent for the upcoming season. There were talks the Bruins were heading towards a rebuild, but with the return of Bergeron, those talks are now out the window for at least another year. It’s evident that Bergeron would not come back if the Bruins were going to be rebuilding, leaving the only possible option that the Bruins will attempt to contend and make it back to the playoffs. In a loaded Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division, this will be a challenging task considering all the injuries the team will begin the season with. Couple that with the lack of cap space to bring in new talent, and the Bruins have an uphill battle ahead of them.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the recent report on Patrice Bergeron’s extension with the Boston Bruins.

On his ‘32 Thoughts’ podcast he noted what the signing means to the Bruins plans for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

” They’re going to try to hold their heads above water while everyone gets healthy, but they’re going to try to compete. Bergeron’s not coming back if they’re rebuilding.”

https://twitter.com/iancmclaren/status/1540739813782933504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1540739813782933504%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bruinsinsider.com%2FInsider-discusses-how-Bergerons-return-impacts-Bruins-plans-136442%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0WUQe94A-iFhBJj0Nh2Hv8UFRZV3TeGbtalA3nUmLdnkGpHFQPQ9mtN4k

With McAvoy out till Christmas and Reilly and Grzelcyk out till November, newly-appointed head coach Jim Montgomery will have his hands full as he navigates, finding balance on the defensive pairings. The Bruins will have Lindholm, Carlo, Forbort, Clifton, and Zboril to open up with and rely upon Jack Ahcan, who spent last season down in Providence with a few call-ups to the NHL sprinkled in.

The Bruins will also be without their top left winger in, Brad Marchand, who underwent hip surgery and will be out six months from the surgery date. It will be interesting to see who Montgomery moves into that top-line left winger spot. Taylor Hall is an option, but how much will that disrupt the chemistry of the second line?

It will be a wait-and-see game for the Bruins as there are more question marks than answers surrounding the team at the moment. General manager Don Sweeney will have to make trades this off-season to clear cap space if he wants to sign free agents when free agency opens on July 13th.

Stanley Cup Aspirations Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Stanley Cup Aspirations
  2. The Final Countdown
  3. Here Come the Playoffs
  4. Home Stretch
  5. Kevy Cooks

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Kevin Santangelo

Co Host of Cue' the Duck Boats Podcast Writer for Inside the Rink

Leave a Reply

Kashawn Aitcheson physicality

2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Kashawn Aitcheson

Kashawn Aitcheson is a 6-foot-1, 198-pound left-shot defenceman from Toronto, Ontario. Born on September 21st, 2006, Aitcheson narrowly missed the cutoff for the 2024 NHL Draft, and is one of the oldest prospects in the 2025 class. Aitcheson has spent the last three seasons with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. He was also selected […]

Read More
Stuart Skinner

Opinion: Oilers’ Stuart Skinner Showing Some Steadiness Between the Pipes

When it comes to Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, one never knows what they are going to get. On one hand, one might see a version of Skinner, 26, who stands tall, comes up with big saves, does not get out of position, and does not allow soft goals. When this version of Skinner is […]

Read More

3 Takeaways From The Florida Panthers & Carolina Hurricanes Game 5 | 05/28/2025

“Big players make big plays at the biggest moments when you need them too.” That’s what Sam Reinhart had to say about his captain, Sasha Barkov, in his post-game interview. The Cats rallied from a disappointing first period to score three unanswered goals in the second. The eventual game winner scored by Verhaeghe developed from […]

Read More