The 2023-24 NHL season presents a formidable challenge for Boston Bruins’ head coach Jim Montgomery due to a series of significant changes that presented during the offseason. These changes have totally shaken up some pillars of the team’s identity and forced management to rethink strategies to try and remain competitive next season. This all comes following a record-breaking regular season that saw the team go all-in on winning a Stanley Cup and coming up short.
First and foremost, the retirement of Patrice Bergeron, the team’s long-standing leader and a cornerstone of their success, is a monumental blow. Bergeron’s leadership on and off the ice, his exceptional defensive play, and his ability to contribute offensively in all situations made him an irreplaceable asset. His absence leaves a void not only in terms of skill but also in terms of locker room presence and guidance; while the on-ice product will take a hit, the off-ice presence and respect that Bergeron commanded from everyone around him might be even more noticeable.
It’s unclear if Montgomery will be looking to name a new captain this season, but what is clear is that the team must keep Bergeron’s leadership ideals in mind with each and every step they take next season and beyond. The vast majority of the current team played alongside Bergeron and understood how he operated. Montgomery will need to remind them at every turn that this team’s direction, from a character standpoint, simply cannot change regardless of who has the captain’s “C” on their chest.
Related: Bruins’ Debate: Who Will be Named the Next Captain?
This becomes harder when considering the fact that the Bruins also lost David Krejci to retirement this offseason. Another top-six center and leader of the Bruins, Krejci’s departure further weakens the team’s depth down the middle and creates even more uncertainty in the locker room. Krejci’s playmaking abilities and hockey IQ were crucial in Montgomery’s ability to generate offensive opportunities and maintain balanced lines. This was the case for his two predecessors as well in Bruce Cassidy and Claude Julien; having a one-two punch of Bergeron and Krejci is a luxury that not many head coaches are afforded in the NHL. After just one season with the duo, Montgomery will have to adjust to other options.
With the absence of these two veterans, Montgomery will need to shake up the line combinations and possibly give younger players more significant responsibilities. It’s crucial to build up new chemistry and a sense of unity among the forward lines to make sure the team maintains steady offensive production. Nobody is expecting the same levels of production from the current lineup as the team got during the 2022-23 season, but that doesn’t mean that the Bruins are just going to keel over and accept subpar play.
Incorporating the youth and remaining competitive is a fine line that isn’t always easy to balance. It’s even harder when the team is going through such a change in identity in one offseason.
Bruins Lost Other Key Pieces During Offseason
Losing Bergeron and Krejci in one fell swoop is a blow that most teams would struggle to come back from, even under the best of circumstances. Unfortunately for the Bruins and Montgomery, those departures weren’t the only ones of note this offseason.
The team would trade away Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks in a salary-relieving move that further affected this team’s core. While both players served in a bottom-six role for the Bruins, Hall’s spot on the team’s third line wasn’t due to a lack of talent or production. Instead, it was an indication of how deep this Bruins’ team truly was last season. If Hall remained with the team, he’d be a lock for a top-six spot this season; that’s just not how things played out.
The losses didn’t end there, either.
The departures of Tyler Bertuzzi and Dimitry Orlov further created holes in the Bruins’ lineup that had to be filled. Bertuzzi proved to be an excellent playmaker who performed above expectations following his acquisition from the Detroit Red Wings at the Trade Deadline. Orlov instantly became the Bruins’ third-best defender behind Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm and even took a step forward offensively while wearing the black and gold.
These players brought unique skill sets to an already loaded Bruins’ team and made them significantly better as they pushed for some NHL records and a Stanley Cup. With that in the past, though, Montgomery will have to adapt his game plan to account for these substantial exits from the team; this includes shifting lines, pairings and even reallocating ice time in a different manner to accommodate the offensive and defensive stability he was afforded. If a player proves to be worthy of an increased role, Montgomery will be in no position to deny them of that opportunity next season due simply to the hand he was dealt for his second season with the club.
While the expectations are that the Bruins remain competitive and in the playoff hunt this season, it would be hard to imagine management blaming Montgomery for hiccups this season. This is especially true when the team has clearly set themselves up to be a player in the 2024 offseason due to the way they’ve structured their signings this offseason. Montgomery will have pressure to get the most out of his squad, but his seat should be anything but hot for the entirety of the season.
Some important goals for Montgomery this season will be to aim for a playoff bid while also creating opportunities for younger players who could carve out a role for themselves in the future. It’s unrealistic to expect Montgomery to include every single on-the-cusp rookie in his lineup this season, but it would be surprising if most didn’t at least get some opportunity at some point. There’s little to lose in trying them as cost-effective options in roles that may not have been available in the recent past.
The 2023-24 season will be full of challenges for Montgomery, but he should be more than capable of the task given how well the team performed for him a season ago. There will be obstacles he must overcome and the circumstances will be different, but Montgomery may be exactly the person for the job.