Was It The Coach Who Held Young Bruins Back?

Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A new era begins for the Boston Bruins with the hiring of new head coach Jim Montgomery. The Bruins’ roster has been aging, and the lack of high draft picks and issues with drafting and development have left the Bruins without many young players taking on full-time roles with the team. For many, the blame fell on former coach Bruce Cassidy’s unwillingness to be patient with the younger players and having a short leash and a short temper with them. But all of the blame might be unfairly allocated to Cassidy, who has moved on to Vegas.

General manager Don Sweeney said the team could use a few young players to emerge and steal jobs from veterans. This preseason, rookies AJ Greer and Marc McLaughlin have shown flashes of being able to take on a bottom-six role for Boston. Former first-round pick John Beecher is also a prospect who could find himself in Boston soon. On October 6, McLaughlin was sent to the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins. The move was a surprise to some Bruins’ fans as McLaughlin seemed to prove his worth and outplayed veteran players like Nick Foligno and Trent Frederic.

Part of the reason McLaughlin was demoted and former sixth-rounder Oskar Steen was placed on waivers is because McLaughlin does not have to clear waivers, and Steen is expendable. Steen has since cleared the waiver process and will report to Providence. But does it send the right message for management to potentially keep underperforming players like Tomas Nosek over a young player who is performing well enough to stick in the lineup?

With the Bruins salary cap situation in flux and the need for creative ways to get cap compliant, the Bruins placed Foligno, Chris Wagner, and Mike Reilly on waivers. Jakub Lauko remains on the roster after a good camp, as does Jack Studnicka. Boston needs younger players to step up for this season and beyond, but they need a legitimate chance to show they belong. Lauko has not played in an NHL game after three seasons in the AHL. Studnicka was drafted in 2017 but has played just 37 games in Boston. Steen was drafted in 2016 but has played just 23 games in the pros. Typically in the past, prospects would be yo-yo’d back and forth to Providence without much of a look.

Now is the time to see what the Bruins have in some of the recently drafted players. With Brad Marchand out until late November and Taylor Hall missing the opener potentially, there might be some time for Montgomery to see what he has for the future, which could happen sooner than later. A “softer voice” might be what the doctor ordered, but players need to produce. A future fourth line of AJ Greer-John Beecher- Marc McLaughlin could have some potential. But for now, it looks like Nosek will be part of the bottom six, although younger reinforcements might be lying in the weeds.

Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo? Bruins Benders Podcast

 Join the Bruins Benders Podcast as they cover the HOTTEST topics in the Boston Bruins market, along with…- Who will be the next Bruins coach? Sturm? Woodcroft? Leach?- Swayman wins gold with Team USA at the World Championships. Good sign?- Max Comtois has been linked to the Bruins? Thoughts?- Some Bruins' coaches on the way out, will the new coach be able to bring in his own guys?& Much More!Bruins Benders Premium Hoodies $55https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/get-bent-premium-hoodieBruins Benders Long Sleeve Tee $40https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-long-sleeve-tee-1Bruins Benders Tee $30https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-t-shirt-1For more from us, visit: insidetherink.com/bruins-bendersBoston Bruins Trade Rumors, Boston Bruins News, Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Oliver Wahlstrom, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Joe Sacco, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, Brandon Carlo Trade#nhl #nhlbruins #hockey #bostonbruins #nhlplayoffs #bruins #nhlhockey #nhlmemes #boston #nhlallstar #nhldiscussion #nhlnews #nhledits #nhldraft #bruinsnation #nhlawards #nhltrade #hockeylife #tdgarden #nhlhighlights #bostonsports #bruinshockey #bruinsfan #nhlblackhawks #nhlglobalseries #nhlfi #nhlleafs #nhltrades #nhltradedeadline #nhlcanadiens #nhl #nhlnews #hockey #nhlhockey #nhlplayoffs #nhledits #nhldiscussion #nhlmemes #nhldraft #nhlallstar #hockeylife #hockeynews #hockeymemes #nhlhighlights #icehockey #sports #hockeyislife #nhlbruins #hockeyplayers #hockeyfan #hockeyplayer #hockeyedits #stanleycup #nhlawards #hockeygame #hockeyboys #hockeygram #hockeyfights #nhltrade #nhltrades 
  1. Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo?
  2. Season 4. Episode 33. Sweens Extension
  3. Season 4. Episode 32. Dude, Where's My Coach?
  4. Season 4. Episode 31. The Draft Lottery
  5. Season 4. Episode 30. The Bruins Are Watching The Playoffs

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

AHL: Eric Dubois Heads Overseas to ERC Ingolstadt

The Manitoba Moose announced on Friday, May 30th, that Eric Dubois has joined the DEL club ERC Ingolstadt as an assistant coach. Dubois, 55, served as an assistant coach with the Manitoba Moose for nine seasons when he joined the club back in 2016. The Moose posted a 292-264-34-23 record in Dubois’ nine seasons as […]

Read More
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