Bruins Could Turn To Trade Market For Spark
The Boston Bruins have finally acknowledged how underwhelming their season has been, becoming the first team to fire a head coach this season when they let go all-time single-season wins record holder Jim Montgomery. Associate coach and penalty-kill expert Joe Sacco has been promoted in his place. That move is likely to bring a wave of defense to a Bruins lineup that’s tied for the third-most goals-against this season. But general manager Don Sweeney isn’t waiting around for hypotheticals, with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reporting that the team is simultaneously exploring the trade market for a potential spark.
LeBrun said Sweeney isn’t beating around the bush, directly calling out the poor play of new additions like Elias Lindholm – who Boston signed a seven-year, $54.25MM contract with Boston this summer. He’s followed that deal with just two goals and nine points through Boston’s first 20 games. That’s miles away from the production of the true top-line center that Lindholm was signed to be, and his rank of third on the team in scoring underlines just how bad the offense has been. LeBrun, not Sweeney, also pointed to the struggles of goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who leads the league in goals-against (47) in just 14 games. That equates to an .884 save percentage and 3.47 goals-against-average – perhaps the very last thing Boston expected when they went through rounds of contract negotiations during training camp.
The woes continue with Sweeney’s other gut calls. Defender Nikita Zadorov only has five assists in 20 games – and leads the league in penalty minutes (46) – and forward Max Jones hasn’t scored once in four appearances. It’s not all bad for the lineup – in fact, the breakout of bottom-six fixtures like Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, and Mark Kastelic would cause celebration anywhere else – but it’s clear that the team is completely missing their engine. They’ve done little to restock the cupboards since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci stepped down from their posts, instead casting a wide net for depth forwards and hoping for the best.
Should Boston pursue a trade, it’d almost certainly be for a high-impact, top-six forward. Where they’ll find a team willing to part with a major piece is less clear. Seattle Kraken centerman Yanni Gourde has popped up in early trade rumors, though his seven points in 20 games wouldn’t bring the spark Boston needs. Gourde did score 25 goals and 64 points on the 2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning, and has hit 48 points three times since – though he’s failed to pass the half-century mark. The Bruins have been leaning into grit and physicality amid their struggles, evident by their recent call-ups – both pieces that Gourde brings in abundance.
But Gourde won’t carry Boston’s top-line, still leaving a glaring hole in what was supposed to be Lindholm’s role. That may necessitate a more brazen trade, like attempting to acquire hard-nosed Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak, who’s missed a handful of games to injury this season and only posted four points in the 14 games he has played. That’s far below the 18 goals and 45 points Novak posted last season, which was itself an improvement on 43 points the year before. Novak has been square in the middle of a Predators’ middle-six that simply isn’t working – but his gritty style and finishing ability would both be heralded by this Bruins club.
If Don Sweeney is truly looking to push all his chips in, he could also target former superstar prospect Shane Wright, who’s been healthy scratched in Seattle’s last two games after scoring just two points in 18 games this season. Wright has yet to find it out at the top level, now standing at nine points through 34 career games – contrary to his 60 points in 71 total AHL games last season. Wright’s talent has never been questioned, but his fit in Seattle is starting to look quickly uncomfortable. For the right price – likely a hefty package with plenty of draft capital – Boston could try to steal away the 20-year-old burgeoning star, and put him in a far better spot to succeed between David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.
So early into the season, it’s hard to gauge which top forwards could actually be pried away from their lineup. The Bruins will wait to see how things go under Sacco before making any large moves. But a strong array of centermen should await Don Sweeney on the trade market, with the limiting factor being Boston’s wallet – and underbaked assets – more than the options ahead of them. They’ll have to push the boundaries of the budget to pull out of a difficult 8-9-3 start to the year.
Bruins Reassign Jeffrey Viel To AHL
After only two days on the roster, the Boston Bruins assigned forward Jeffrey Viel to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. He suited up for the Bruins on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets picking up three hits while collecting 8:27 of ice time.
Today’s transaction may result in a short stay for Viel in Providence as Boston could still use a jolt. He’s scored two goals and four points for the AHL Bruins through 14 games this season. He won’t have a regular spot in the Bruins lineup should today’s demotion only be a paper transaction but he’ll play a vital role down the stretch should the team not climb out of their current situation.
Bruins Notes: Montgomery, Pastrňák, Marchand
The lack of “successful” contract extension talks was a contributing factor in yesterday’s decision to fire head coach Jim Montgomery, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters during his media availability Wednesday, including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Montgomery signed a reported three-year, $6MM contract to take over as Boston’s bench boss in 2022, and the two sides had initial extension talks at the beginning of training camp, Sweeney said at the time. But an 8-9-3 start through 20 games, plus a likely multi-million dollar gap per season in extension negotiations, means Boston will instead be paying out most of Montgomery’s salary this season after relieving him of his duties.
If not sooner, Montgomery is well-positioned to become one of the higher-paid coaches in the league during next summer’s carousel. The Bruins’ 120-41-23 (.715) record since he took over is the best in the league, and the 2023 Jack Adams Award winner now has parts of five NHL seasons under his belt as a head coach, including his time with the Stars.
Elsewhere in the fall-out of Montgomery’s firing:
- Speaking with reporters today, Bruins leading scorer David Pastrňák has nothing but praise for Montgomery, saying the team’s failure to live up to expectations so far is on the players. “Because we weren’t getting it done, we lost a great coach and great human being,” Pastrňák said (via Anderson). That’s notable praise coming from a player who was called out by name during last year’s eventual first-round win over the Maple Leafs. While Pastrňák leads the league with 82 shots on goal, his 9.8% shooting percentage is tracking as a career-low, and his 33-goal pace after three straight seasons of 40 or more is one of many reasons why Boston’s offense has struggled to get off the ground at just 2.4 goals per game.
- Captain Brad Marchand had a similar sentiment, saying that the roster “feels terrible as a group” (per Anderson). The 36-year-old, along with Pastrňák, are the only two Bruins players with double-digit point totals this season. “This is a reflection of our play,” he continued. “If we had done our job in here, he’d still be here.”
Bruins Fire Head Coach Jim Montgomery
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced that the club has relieved head coach Jim Montgomery of his duties. Associate coach Joe Sacco will assume an interim head coach role. Montgomery’s ousting comes after a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. It was Boston’s third consecutive loss, and the 10th in their last 15 games. The Bruins have been outscored 51-to-28 in those games, good for a -23 goal differential – the worst in the NHL since October 19th.
To say Boston’s early season has fallen short of expectations would be an understatement. The team stands with an 8-9-3 record, and needed overtime to achieve half of their wins. No aspects of the lineup seem to be firing properly, with David Pastrnak (17) and Brad Marchand (13) the only Bruins to pass 10 points through 20 games – and even they’re scoring below their typical pace. Netminder Jeremy Swayman hasn’t been any better, with his .884 save percentage in 14 appearances outmatched by backup Joonas Korpisalo‘s .901 in seven appearances. It’s been top-to-bottom struggles in Boston, sparking the first coach firing of the young season.
Montgomery will be replaced by Boston-native, and Boston University alum, Joe Sacco, who’s served on the Bruins bench since the 2014-15 season. Sacco worked under three different head coaches in that span – serving as an assistant up until this summer, when he received an aptly-timed promotion to associate coach. He’ll now take one step further, moving into his first head coaching role since 2012-13, when Sacco was fired after a four-year tenure with the Colorado Avalanche. He only led Colorado to the postseason once, in 2009-10 – his first year as an NHL head coach. He set a 43-30-9 record that year, only to fall to a dismal 88-104-21 record through his next three seasons. That includes a 16-25-7 record in the 2012-13, which paved way for Colorado to select Nathan MacKinnon first overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Before his time in the NHL, Sacco achieved a 60-79-21 record across two seasons with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters.
But while past precedent may not shine favorably on Sacco, his decade in Boston has provided plenty of learning experience. He’s become known for overseeing Boston’s penalty-killing unit, which ranks as the second-most effective in the NHL over the last decade. More specifically, the Bruins have three separate seasons in the top 10 of penalty-killing percentage since 2014-15 – posting a second-ranked 87.3 percent in 2022-23, a seventh-ranked 86 percent in 2020-21, and a 10th-ranked 85.7 percent in 2016-17. That’s in large part thanks to Sacco, who amassed 738 career NHL games of his own – standing out as a stout defensive-forward. Those traits will come in handy for a Bruins team currently allowing the fourth-most goals in the league.
Meanwhile, Montgomery will now look for new work less than two seasons after leading Boston to a record 65 wins in 2022-23. The Bruins were promptly ousted in the first round of the postseason, but the year was nonetheless monumental. It ended in Linus Ullmark winning the Vezina Trophy, Patrice Bergeron – again – winning the Selke Trophy, and Montgomery winning the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year. Montgomery followed it with a very strong 47-20-15 record last season, commanding Boston through the loss of longtime lineup pillars Bergeron and David Krejčí and making it to the playoff’s second round.
Montgomery’s hockey roots run deep. He was a star at the University of Maine, captaining the team’s 1993 NCAA Championship run while serving strong opposite of Paul Kariya. He signed in the NHL as an undrafted free agent soon after and became a star scorer in the minor-leagues – amassing 328 points across eight years and 451 games in the AHL. He retired from an 11-year pro career in 2005 and didn’t take on his first head coach role until 2010 – but his winning tendencies quickly came back. Montgomery led the Dubuque Fighting Saints to the USHL Clark Cup in both 2010 and 2012 – earning a move step up to the University of Denver, where he won another NCAA Championship in 2017. He was hired by the Dallas Stars in 2018, and led the team to a 60-43-10 record, though he stepped down as head coach partway through the 2019-20 season. Still, his hockey resume is as strong as it comes, and it likely won’t be long before Montgomery finds himself once again commanding an NHL lineup.
Bruins Recall Jeffrey Viel
The Bruins promoted winger Jeffrey Viel from AHL Providence on Monday, per a team announcement. Boston had an open roster spot after reassigning Riley Tufte on Sunday, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Viel, 27, is in his first season in the Bruins organization. The 6’2″, 205-lb power forward signed a two-year, partial two-way deal in free agency over the summer after spending the first six seasons of his professional career in the Sharks and Jets systems.
The Quebec native is expected to play his first NHL game in 19 months tonight against the Blue Jackets, per Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. He’ll slot in a fourth-line role at left wing alongside John Beecher and Tyler Johnson while Mark Kastelic comes out due to a lower-body injury, and Cole Koepke serves as a healthy scratch despite being fourth on the Bruins in scoring with eight points (4 G, 4 A) in 19 games. There’s hope Kastelic could return for Thursday’s game against Utah, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports, so Viel’s stint in the lineup could be a short one.
While Viel spent last year with Winnipeg, he didn’t see NHL ice and spent the entire 2023-24 season on assignment to AHL Manitoba. All of his 49 career NHL games came in a Sharks uniform. He recorded three goals and two assists for five points with a -9 rating and 139 PIMs in parts of three seasons. He averaged 8:29 per game in San Jose and controlled 43.6% of shot attempts at even strength.
Viel has routinely blended strong physical play and frequent fights with decent scoring numbers in the minors, making him an attractive power winger option for NHL clubs looking to add some skill and protection for their younger prospects at the AHL level. His production hasn’t come alive with Providence yet, though, limited to two goals and two assists in 14 games.
Viel passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. He can remain on Boston’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs them again to return to Providence. The first season of his contract carries a two-way structure, so the recall represents a significant pay bump to $775K from his $375K minors salary.
Morning Notes: Peeke, Pionk, Goncalves, Kastelic, Tufte
The Boston Bruins will soon receive some relief on the blue-line, with defenseman Andrew Peeke returning to the team’s practices per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Peeke hasn’t played since leaving Boston’s November 5th match against Toronto following a hit from Max Pacioretty that seemed to bounce Peeke’s shoulder awkwardly off the boards. He was ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury soon after, though participating in practice marks a big step in his path back to the lineup. Peeke isn’t expected to play in Boston’s Monday game against Columbus but could suit up when the team hosts Utah on Thursday.
Peeke was joined on the shelf by Hampus Lindholm, who’s week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The pair of absences quickly drained Boston’s top-four of its impactful, defensive stalwarts. Peeke rotated through the lineup when healthy, serving anywhere from 13 minutes in a sheltered role to 20 minutes on the top pair. He’s recorded two assists, 18 hits, and 21 blocked shots in 13 games. While not a thrilling stat line, Boston has felt every bit of Peeke’s absence – averaging the fifth-highest goals-against per-game (3.60 in five games) since he left the lineup. Upcoming matchups against Columbus, Utah, and Detroit should give Boston a chance to ease Peeke back into the lineup.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5K, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for “clipping” Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist on Saturday. Pionk went in for a hip-check but caught more of Boqvist’s knee than anything else. No penalty was issued for the hit. Boqvist nursed his left-knee for a while, but didn’t need helped off the ice. Pionk played 20 minutes in the 5-0 loss, going without any major stat changes – but still boasting 17 points in 18 games this season. He’ll continue to be a main fixture of the Jets lineup – and likely continue delivering heavy hip-checks – after avoiding suspension here.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have once again assigned forward Gage Goncalves to the minor leagues, after he stepped into a third-line role in the team’s Saturday night win over New Jersey. Goncalves played a career-high 15:32 worth of ice time in the outing, though he only put up two hits and one shot. Goncalves has yet to record his first NHL point, despite four appearances this year and two last year. He’ll return to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s already posted six assists in five games – the only Crunch still scoring above a point-per-game pace.
- The Boston Bruins received a couple more updates at Sunday’s practice, with forwards Mark Kastelic designated as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and Riley Tufte expected to be sent to the minor leagues per Steve Conroy. Tufte played in 7:46 of Boston’s Saturday overtime-loss to St. Louis, with a -2 his only stat change. Tufte has yet to record a point in three games this year, though he’s managed three points in 21 career NHL games while serving as a go-to call-up since 2021. Kastelic has been much more productive – posting seven points in 19 games this season – while still serving a fourth-line role.
Mark Kastelic Considered Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
- Boston Bruins forward Mark Kastelic left the team’s overtime loss against the St. Louis Blues today after skating in 5:18 of the action. Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe shared that Kastelic is expected to miss the next few days with a lower-body injury. Thankfully for Kastelic and the Bruins, the team doesn’t play again until their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night meaning Kastelic could be an option.
- One member of the Bruins organization who didn’t see any ice time this afternoon was veteran forward Tyler Johnson. Before puck drop, the team announced Johnson was out due to ‘family reasons’ but would return to practice tomorrow. Johnson has gone scoreless in four games in Boston after signing a one-year contract with the organization two weeks ago.
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Bruins Recall Georgii Merkulov, Riley Tufte
The Bruins recalled forwards Georgii Merkulov and Riley Tufte from AHL Providence on Saturday, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports. Boston sent center Patrick Brown back to Providence and placed defenseman Hampus Lindholm on injured reserve to open up the necessary spots on the active roster.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 24-year-old Merkulov. The Russian forward made his NHL debut last season, receiving a four-game call-up around New Year’s. He posted a +1 rating, three shots on goal and averaged 10:35 per game. The undrafted free agent signing out of Ohio State struggled in the faceoff dot, only winning six of his 28 draws (21.4 FO%), and recorded four blocks and two hits.
While he may not have drawn much attention from his first NHL showing, the 5’11” Merkulov has been a spectacular diamond in the rough signing for the Bruins’ front office, if for no other reason than his minor-league play. Merkulov was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2022-23 and represented the Atlantic Division at last season’s All-Star Game, producing 136 points in 154 total appearances for the P-Bruins.
Eleven of those points (2 G, 9 A) have come in 12 games this season, tying with Vinni Lettieri for the team lead in scoring. The Bruins hope that’s a sign that Merkulov can provide more of a scoring punch than he did last time, helping jumpstart their 28th-ranked offense (2.50 GF/GP).
Merkulov is in the final season of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. He will remain waiver-exempt for the rest of 2024-25 but must clear them to return to Providence at the beginning of next season if he doesn’t make the opening night roster.
Meanwhile, it’s the second recall of the young campaign for the more veteran Tufte. The towering 6’6″, 230-lb left-winger made the Bruins’ opening night roster after signing a one-way, league minimum deal in free agency but played in just two of their first eight games before landing on waivers, clearing and heading to Providence.
Tufte, 26, had a -1 rating, no shots and three hits in his pair of appearances for Boston in October, averaging just 8:08 per game. The 2016 first-round pick of the Stars has three goals and an assist in six games for Providence since being sent down. He scored a career-high 23 goals and 45 points in 67 games for the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate last season while under contract with Colorado, earning his first minor-league All-Star Game nod.
It’s unclear whether either Merkulov or Tufte will draw in for this afternoon’s game against the Blues. None of the 14 forwards on the active roster carry an injury designation. However, recent UFA pickup Tyler Johnson sat in the press box for Thursday’s game against the Stars and could sit again while Merkulov or Tufte enters the lineup.
Brown’s first recall of the season ends after two days on the roster. He drew in against Dallas for Johnson, posting a -1 rating with two shots on goal while centering the fourth line between John Beecher and Mark Kastelic, skating 12:42 and going 2-for-4 on draws.
The defensively sound right-shot center had seven points in 12 games for Providence before the call-up. After clearing waivers last month, Brown can remain on the NHL roster for up to 28 days throughout subsequent call-ups or play nine NHL games before he needs them again to return to the minors.
An IR placement does not affect Lindholm’s timeline for a return. Today’s transaction was purely for roster management purposes. He’s still week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will likely remain out of action through the rest of November.
Bruins Recall Patrick Brown
The Bruins recalled forward Patrick Brown from AHL Providence on Thursday, per a team announcement.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 32-year-old, who cleared waivers uneventfully at the beginning of the regular season. He was named captain of the P-Bruins shortly thereafter and has three goals and four assists for seven points in 12 AHL games so far in 2024-25.
The Boston College grad signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with the Bruins in free agency in 2023. After appearing solely in the NHL for the Flyers and Senators in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, Brown spent most of last year in Providence but did get some brief NHL action, recording an assist and a -3 rating in 11 appearances while averaging 8:50 per game and going 15-for-33 on draws (45.5%).
The Bruins only had 12 forwards on the active roster after sending Matthew Poitras down to Providence earlier in the week. Brown will likely sit in the press box for tonight’s game in Dallas, but he’s a decent veteran presence on hand if an injury arises and his services are needed.
Brown, initially an undrafted free agent signing by the Hurricanes in 2014, has 10 goals and 25 points in 149 career NHL games with Carolina, Vegas, Philadelphia, Ottawa, and Boston. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Brown can remain on the active roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before requiring waivers again to return to Providence.
Matt Irwin Announces Retirement
Unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Irwin is stepping away from the game, the NHLPA announced. He confirms his retirement after 10 NHL seasons and 461 appearances.
“As I reflect on my career, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful and fortunate to have lived out my childhood dream of playing in the NHL,” Irwin said in a statement released by the players’ association. “My success would not have been possible without the support of my family, my in-laws and especially my wife, Chantel, and two kids, Beckem and Lennon. You all pushed me to be the best version of myself on and off the ice.”
“I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by the best group of teammates that I could have possibly asked for,” Irwin continued. “Each and every one of them made coming to the rink the best years of my life. I hope our paths cross somewhere down the road.”
Now 36, Irwin never played major junior hockey and instead jumped straight from the junior ‘A’ BCHL to NCAA hockey with UMass. The left-shot defender spent two seasons there before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Sharks in 2010, kicking off his professional career.
Irwin spent two full seasons with San Jose’s AHL affiliate, then in Worcester, Massachusetts, before receiving his first NHL recall in 2012-13. He appeared in 38 of 48 games for the Sharks during the lockout-shortened season, recording 12 points and a -1 rating while averaging 19:06 per game and finishing 19th in Calder Trophy voting. Irwin also played in all 11 of San Jose’s playoff games as he got an audition in top-pairing minutes at even strength alongside Dan Boyle.
The Victoria, British Columbia native managed to stick around as a full-time NHLer for the following two seasons in the Bay Area but steadily saw his minutes reduced. After a 2014-15 campaign that saw him record a career-high eight goals, Irwin became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Bruins.
However, Irwin only made two NHL appearances in a Boston sweater, instead spending nearly all of the 2015-16 season on assignment to AHL Providence. Understandably, he was one-and-done with the Bruins, and landed a deal with the Predators in free agency the following offseason.
It was the right choice for Irwin, who ended up playing 195 games in parts of four seasons in Nashville – the most of the six NHL franchises he appeared for. Aside from four appearances for AHL Milwaukee in 2016-17, Irwin managed to avoid being sent to the minors for the next seven years, sticking around in bottom-pairing/press box roles for the Predators, Ducks, Sabres, and Capitals.
Irwin’s last NHL games came with Washington in 2022-23. He recorded five points, a -8 rating and 36 PIMs in 61 games along with 75 blocks and 117 hits. He signed a two-way contract with the Canucks for 2023-24 but didn’t make the team, instead spending all of 2023-24 on assignment to AHL Abbotsford, where he recorded 16 points (5 G, 11 A) and a +2 rating in 65 games while serving as an alternate captain.
Irwin closes the book on his NHL career with 25 goals, 68 assists, 93 points, and a -9 rating in 461 games. He also logged 211 PIMs, 725 shots and a respectable 50.6 CF% at even strength while averaging 15:26 per game. He also appeared in 47 playoff games for the Sharks and Preds in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018, most notably playing in all 22 postseason contests as Nashville advanced to the only Stanley Cup Final in franchise history in 2017.
Irwin also logged 314 AHL appearances in parts of seven minor-league seasons, totaling 32 goals and 103 assists for 135 points. All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors extend our best wishes to Irwin in retirement.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.