If there is one thing that the Boston Bruins would like to do in 2023-24, it’s get some young players into the lineup. Just how they can go about that remains to be seen. Veteran free-agent additions over the summer are not going to make it easy for second-year coach Jim Montgomery to do it, but some prospects are going to make it difficult for the coaching staff to make some decisions.
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One of those prospects who is going to make roster decisions tough is 19-year-old center Matthew Poitras. The 54th pick in the second round of the 2022 Entry Draft in Montreal, the talented center has had a good start to training camp and was the Bruins best forward in Sunday night’s 3-0 preseason win over the New York Rangers at the TD Garden.
Poitras Makes Big Impression Against Rangers
At the beginning of training camp, Montgomery put Poitras on a practice line with David Pastrnak (from ‘Teenager Matt Poitras is making a play to fill some of the Bruins’ needs at center,’ Boston Globe, Sept. 22, 2023). Talk about getting thrown into the fire quickly. It was a good test for the youngster and he took it and ran with it. He carried his first couple of days of camp into the preseason game against New York.
The Ontario native scored the game’s first goal on the power play with a nice shot past Jonathan Quick from the left circle. In the second period, he picked up the primary assist on a power play goal for Jake DeBrusk. He was good at the faceoff dot, won a lot of battles along the boards, and was active in all three zones.
“It’s a man’s league out there,” said Montgomery. “He didn’t see the NHL tonight, so it’s a really good start, but that’s what he needs to do, right? He played a really good game, and he’s gonna get another game, and if he keeps playing, he’s gonna get rewarded and continue to get rewarded for it. It would be a pleasant surprise if he was able to do it.”
He is going to get another chance in a preseason game and there is a good chance he’s going to make the decision tougher with each game he plays in.
Poitras Has Limited Options This Season
Poitras is not eligible for the American Hockey League (AHL) to play with the Providence Bruins, which means the two options are playing his rookie season in the NHL, or getting sent back to the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and juniors. He does have the option to play in nine NHL games and return to the Storm, but it’s unlikely the Bruins choose to go that route.
Making the roster in Boston and where he would slot in is complicated. In reality, if he’s going to play in the NHL, it’s going to have to be in at least the top nine, but ideally the top six. Centering the fourth line and even the third line would not be beneficial to him or his development as if returns to Guelph, he’s getting top-six minutes which would be much more beneficial for his development.
If the AHL was an option for Poitras, then the decision would be a little easier on Montgomery and the Bruins, but it’s not. When the dust settles, he is more than likely going to go back to Guelph for one more season before making the move to the pros full-time next season. There is no doubt that there is plenty to like about his game, his skill set, and his overall play in all three zones. His offensive explosion last season in the OHL was not a mistake and if he goes back there this season, he has a very good chance of having a 100-point-plus season and making even more of an impression.
Last season, Marc McLaughlin had a good training camp, but found himself sent to Providence for the season and he had a good season. Poitras is going to make decisions difficult for the Bruins this training camp and he very well could end up being sent back to the OHL, but it won’t be an easy decision for Montgomery and the front office. It’s a good decision for Boston to have.
