Two seasons ago, the Boston Bruins began the season 9-1-0. Last season, Boston went 9-0-1 in their first ten games. This season has started with uncharacteristic poor play, a lack of cohesion, and a head coach searching for answers. After a 4-6-1 start to the 2024-25 season, the Bruins were hoping for a better effort and, more importantly, much-improved execution in a tough road game against the 6-2-0 Carolina Hurricanes. What they got was arguably their worst performance since a 6-0 loss to Carolina in February of 2022. Now the questions become, where do the Bruins go from here, and who is to blame? Is it the coach, the management, or the players? The answer might be all of the above.
Can the Head Coach Do More?
Jim Montgomery was hired after the 2021-22 season, replacing Bruce Cassidy, who had tremendous success, including a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2019. However, Cassidy was let go after several players were concerned about his coaching style and treatment of players. Montgomery was deemed the softer, more positive voice who would give the younger players more chances and be the opposite of Cassidy. Montgomery’s first season was historic, with 65 wins and a team that, even by his admission, was “coaching themselves.” The leadership in the room was strong, and the talent was evident.
But a first-round collapse to the Florida Panthers was a stunner and Montgomery discussed some decisions that were made that led to the series loss. Last season, the team won 47 games and came within a point of an Atlantic Division title, but again could not solve the Panthers, who would go on to win the Stanley Cup. This offseason, management added two big free agents and signed their goalie of the future to a lucrative, long-term deal. The expectation was that this year’s club would contend and be better suited to knock off the Panthers. The first 11 games, however, have included two losses to Florida and a team that is currently in last place in the division.
Montgomery’s constant line shuffling has been a top story along with a visible exchange with captain Brad Marchand on the bench and talking a lot more openly about the team’s struggles in the media. In other words, Montgomery’s behavior has been more similar to Cassidy’s. Without a contract beyond this season, Montgomery has not been able to find the proper adjustments to help the team improve its overall execution. One can argue how much Montgomery is to blame, but it is clear that he is to blame for some of the utter dysfunction and lack of confidence that permeates throughout the team.
Management Has Assembled a Unfinished Roster
General Manager Don Sweeney mentioned before the season that the Bruins were still an unfinished product and were probably a forward short. The second-line right wing is a glaring need. But beyond that, the team is not getting the career years from Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, and Morgan Geekie they received last season. That trio is currently a combined minus-23. The problems with the lineup go beyond one winger. Sweeney deserves some of the criticism for sure. Team President talked about getting faster in the offseason and the team got bigger and heavier instead. Management wants to play more physically and the coach wants puck movement and possession. There seems to be a disconnect organizationally with a difference in philosophy that is either subtle or a huge issue. The latter seems to be more likely at this point.
The Core Might Not Be What We Thought They Were
Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, and now Jeremy Swayman are the future of the Boston Bruins. All three are making market-value deals at the top of the salary scale for each of their positions. Currently, none of them are playing like it and questions exist about whether one of them might have to be dealt to change the culture on the team. Captain Brad Marchand has been an all-time great Bruin, but is the captaincy weighing heavily on him? Has the leadership of Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara been replaced properly? This is now Sweeney’s core. Fans might be finding out that the current nucleus of the Boston Bruins just isn’t as good as the previous one. It might just be that simple.
Sweeney and Neely seem safe in the eyes of owners Jeremy and Charlie Jacobs and the scapegoat in all of this will probably be Montgomery. However, serious discussions need to take place to determine what this roster will look like later this season and beyond. The coach might be jettisoned first, but after that, more franchise-defining changes might need to be considered. In short, everyone on this list is to blame. It is up for interpretation how much of the pie each one gets.
