One day after the Boston Bruins lost, 5-1, to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the TD Garden, GM Don Sweeney fired coach Jim Montgomery. It wasn’t surprising that the former Jack Adams Award winner was let go as the signs were pointing in that direction and after the loss to Columbus when he ripped into goalie Jeremy Swayman.
There are several reasons why the Bruins have been struggling as badly as they have, but two players who have been a disappointment are the two big free-agent signings, Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Lindholm called himself out earlier this year for his poor play and Zadorov has spent too much time in the penalty box.
Less than a week after being fired in Boston, Montgomery was hired as the head coach with the St. Louis Blues. The quick turnaround raised a few eyebrows across the NHL and shortly after the hiring, the league sent a memo to teams regarding tampering. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, but his quick hiring got Bruins fans thinking, did Montgomery have one foot out the door at the end of his tenure with the Black and Gold?
Nikita Zadorov's quote raises some questions about Montgomery’s final season in Boston
Zadorov spoke to RG Media about several topics, including why he decided on the Bruins in free agency rather than a return to the Vancouver Canucks or another free-agent landing spot. He spoke to Igor Rabiner about his decision to come to Boston and he even checked in with former Boston defenseman Dmitry Orlov about playing for Montgomery.
“I think it's wrong to say anything to Montgomery's back. I'll just say one thing: what I heard about him, including from Orlov and other people, I didn't see this season. It was a little different,” said Zadorov.
You could tell from the beginning of training camp that Montgomery was different when he spoke to the media. There has been nothing but positive feedback about players who have played for him, including Orlov, who was acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline in 2023.
This quote is pretty telling in that Montgomery had one foot out the door for some time in Boston. He clearly was not happy and he wasn’t happy with the roster he was given by the front office. Let’s be honest, it’s a very flawed roster and is one that isn’t built to contend this year. Boston might be better off missing the playoffs and retooling, something I’m sure Sweeney and Cam Neely don’t want to do.
If you had been paying attention to Montgomery’s first two seasons in Boston, his body language and tone were a lot different than it was in the month and a half of 2024-25. Just the fact that Zadorov didn’t see what Orlov told him shows you that there was one foot out the door of the TD Garden for a coach who led the Black and Gold to record books in his first season behind the bench.