When the Boston Bruins fired Jim Montgomery back in November, long-time assistant coach Joe Sacco was named interim coach of the Black and Gold. It was a no-brainer decision for the front office to go with Sacco who already has NHL head coaching experience with the Colorado Avalanche.
Since taking over, things have not really improved for the Bruins who are quickly falling fast from the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They are going to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs and that is going to lead to changes this off-season. There are going to be roster changes as well as changes coming with the staff. One NHL writer listed Sacco as a predictable candidate when the season is over.
NHL writer lists Joe Sacco as a coach who could be job hunting this off-season
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News listed four coaches who could be job-hunting this summer and one of them was Sacco. In reality, this is likely to happen as general manager Don Sweeney will say that the locker room needs a new voice, but if there is one thing we have learned about this season is that coaching is not the biggest issue with the Black and Gold.
In the bigger picture, it's a roster construction that is the biggest issue and that comes from above the head coaches and the front office. Both Montgomery and Sacco were dealt bad hands this year with a very limited roster that just possesses enough goal-scorers, among some of its flaws.
As is always the case when a coach is fired, the team turns things around for a while, but again, the law of averages catches up with them and in the end, the lack of talent is exposed and ends up bringing things down. That is the case with the 2024-25 Boston Bruins, but don't expect Sweeney to come out and say it.
If we're being honest, most other organizations would make moves within the front office and fire someone, anyone, Sweeney or President Cam Neely. That is unlikely to happen this summer and the duo will be given another chance to fix things for 2025-26, which will likely be hiring a new coach to turn things around. Their track record of finding the right guy is good, but their track record of keeping that coach and having success isn't as good. Expect more of the same this summer.