Bruins
“It’s an opportunity for guys to be put in some different roles and build their game.”
The Bruins will not take to the ice as a full squad until next week, when training camp for the 2023-24 season officially commences at Warrior Ice Arena.
But that hasn’t stopped head coach Jim Montgomery from starting to chart out roles and expectations for what will be a revamped forward corps this winter.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Boston Bruins Foundation’s annual golf tournament at Pinehills Golf Club on Thursday, Montgomery discussed his initial thoughts on a reshuffled roster.
Coyle, Zacha set for featured roles up front
It doesn’t necessarily come as much of a surprise, but Montgomery reiterated once again that both Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha will take on top-six roles this season following the retirement of both Patrice Bergeron and Pavel Zacha.
Montgomery first confirmed Zacha and Coyle’s expected promotions back in late August in an interview with Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, noting that Coyle will likely skate with Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk, while Zacha will anchor a line featuring David Pastrnak and James van Riemsdyk.
Both Coyle and Zacha will not be able to replicate the two-way mastery and high-end production that Bergeron and Krejci generated for over 15 years together in Boston.
Still, Montgomery and the Bruins’ top brass were impressed with how both Coyle and Zacha fared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as Boston’s impromptu 1C/2C.
“They both can handle a lot of minutes,” Montgomery said of Coyle and Zacha. “Both of them are coming into believing who they are and how they need to play regardless of who they’re playing with … We’re really comfortable, especially after seeing them in big games in Games 3 and 4, playing 19 to 20 minutes and play as well as they did.
“Now, I’m hoping they don’t have to play 20 minutes at night. But we know they can handle that and that they can handle all three zones.”
Zacha, who surpassed his previous career high in scoring by 21 points in 2022-23, seemed like a natural candidate for a featured role down the middle, especially next to his fellow countryman in Pastrnak.
Coyle has been at his best in Boston as a 200-foot, puck-possession 3C. But next to elevated wingers like Marchand and DeBrusk, Coyle could turn that trio into more of a shutdown grouping, especially if it carves out more O-zone ice for van Riemsdyk-Zacha-Pastrnak.
During the regular season, a Marchand-Coyle-DeBrusk line logged 42:16 of 5v5 ice time together, with Boston holding the edge in shot attempts (49-34), shots on goal (22-17) and goals scored (2-1).
“I thought he stepped up,” DeBrusk said of Coyle’s play in the postseason. “I actually hadn’t thought about that series in a while, but I think that he was solid in those games. I’ve played with Charlie before as well, with different kinds of guys on the left and on the right.
“So I feel comfortable playing with Charlie, always have, and I think he’s a guy that always has good starts. He always comes to camp ready and prepared. I think it’s one of those things where it’s an opportunity for guys to be put in some different roles and build their game. I think that’s what every player wants and that’s what the task at hand is.”
Bottom six remains a work in progress
Montgomery tipped his hand about initial projections for Boston’s top-six unit.
But the third and fourth lines? That’s another story.
Granted, Montgomery and his staff will have no shortage of options as they try to mix and match the best six players on the ice.
Free-agent signings like Milan Lucic, Morgan Geekie, Patrick Brown, and Jesper Boqvist will try to establish themselves, while returning players like Trent Frederic, A.J. Greer, and Jakub Lauko are focused on entrenching themselves to set spots.
PTO candidates like Alex Chiasson and Danton Heinen are trying to earn a spot on the NHL roster, while a bevy of prospects and Providence regulars will try and push for a spot up in Boston.
“There’s no doubt there’s way more jobs that are open, right? And competition is great,” Montgomery said. “And I do think that we are all hoping that there’s going to be pleasant surprises that are going to make the team — kind of like Lauko did and A.J. Greer did out of camp last year.”
Until camp commences and Montogmery can start putting his lines in a blender, it remains to be seen what type of identity is forged on the third and fourth lines. But regardless of whatever mindset or mentality those forward trios take, Montgomery will stress a team-first mantra further down the depth chart.
“Players that are gonna have an impact on games that are gonna make us better and relish their roles,” Montgomery said of the bottom-six identity. “You lose guys … We lost [Tomas] Nosek. I stuck him out there on defensive-zone draws, he got a bad hand dealt by me.
“But he loved it. He relished it. And he moves the puck from the D zone to the offensive zone. You need players like that, that aren’t going to worry about how they’re being used, but care about how they’re helping the team win.”
Granted, it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that any checking unit featuring a bruiser like Lucic will take on a pugnacious mindset in 2023-24.
“I think Pasta won’t get hit as much, Marchy won’t get hit as much because Looch is in the lineup,” Montgomery noted. “But I’m still gonna want Looch to be a person that decides momentum in the games. … Carrying the momentum of the team, recognizing when we’re losing momentum going out there, making a big hit or getting to the netfront, crashing the net — very similar things that [Nick] Foligno did for us. But probably because of his history here, carry more weight within that role.”
Smooth sailing on defense, in net
For all of the turnover up front for Boston, Montgomery and Co. will not have to fret that much over the state of the Bruins’ defense and goalie corps.
Boston returns arguably the best goalie tandem in the NHL in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Five of Boston’s six starters on defense last season (ahead of the 2023 trade deadline) will also return, with veteran Kevin Shattenkirk slotting in for Connor Clifton after he signed with the Sabres in free agency.
Hampus Lindholm expects Boston’s defense to once again be a pillar of the team’s success in 2023-24, with their role even more heightened due to the loss of defensive-minded centers like Bergeron, Krejci, and Nosek.
“Krech I think was also underrated in how good he is defensively with coming in and helping,” Lindholm said of Krejci and Bergeron. “Two really good players, but this organization always finds ways and there’s gonna be opportunities for other guys to step up.
“Like I said, for our D corps here, I think it’s a big, big opportunity for us to step up and just kind of show that we get even [responsibility] without Bergy and Krech.”
OTHER NOTES
With Bergeron now out of the equation, the Bruins are entering training camp without a set captain. But Montgomery doesn’t expect Boston to open the regular season without a “C” stamped on someone’s sweater.
“Correct, I think we do,” Montgomery said when asked if the Bruins expect to name a new captain this season. “I think we have enough real good leaders that we could have a captain that could lead us.”
The Bruins have plenty of deserving candidates, including Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and David Pastrnak.
“I think we’ve had internal conversations and I think decisions will be made,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s a timeline yet to decide.”
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The Bruins are still staring at a vacancy on their coaching staff, with assistant coach John Gruden exiting the organization earlier this summer to take the head coaching position with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Joe Sacco, Chris Kelly, and Bob Essensa still remain on Montgomery’s staff, but the B’s bench boss expects any addition to be made in short order.
“We’re really close,” Montgomery said. “I think you could expect an announcement next week.”
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