Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Boston Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery announced on Tuesday that Matt Poitras will be “sticking around” with the team, earning a full-time NHL roster spot. The announcement came after the Bruins had a very strong start to the season with him in the line-up, going 8-0-1 and currently holding the 2nd best record in the NHL. Matt Poitras is the newest silver lining to the Bruins organization after the team had several departures in the off-season, including future Hall of Fame captain Patrice Bergeron.
Matt Poitras, a 19 year old native of Brooklin, Ontario, was drafted by the Bruins in 2022, and has spent the last 2 years of his young career with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. The Canadian Hockey League and the National Hockey League have an agreement when it comes to these young men’s junior careers. If you are drafted by both leagues and you are not the age of 20 and you haven’t played at least 4 years of World Juniors Hockey, if you are not selected to the full-time NHL roster spot, you are not allowed to be sent down to the team’s affiliates. You are, however, allowed to have a 9 game try-out in the NHL to see if you are fit.
With Poitras only being 19, and having only played 2 years of World Juniors, Jim Montgomery had a decision to make. After making a splash in the preseason, Poitras made the final cut for roster spots once the season began, ultimately starting his 9 game tryout. In that short amount of time, Poitras separated himself from most 19 year old’s in his position. He tallied 3 goals, 2 assists, and 15:13 TOI in the 9 games he appeared in. He also showed bursts of speed that leveled up the intensity and pace of the game.
With a team that bled a lot of players in the offseason, the Bruins were looking for a silver lining to make a statement this season, after a very disappointing first round exit in last season’s playoffs after a record-breaking regular season. It looks like Poitras could be that silver lining, and Bruins’ fans were elated to hear from Jim Montgomery of the decision to keep him in the lineup for the time being. If Poitras is able to keep up this level of play, we could see the development of one of the newest top 6 players for the Boston Bruins for years to come. The potential in Poitras is one that fans are eager to see.
The Bruins return to action on Thursday, November 2nd against long time rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will not be an easy game for the Bruins, as the Maple Leafs have a very strong, young core that can make a very difficult time for teams in the Eastern Conference. Bruins fans also await the return of trade deadline pick up Tyler Bertuzzi’s first game back at TD Garden, since he left the Bruins in the offseason to sign with the Leafs. Thursday night’s game is going to be one of the biggest tests for the Bruins this season, as they take their shot at redemption from last year.
