Last season, Boston Bruins prospect Matthew Poitras burst onto the scene, making it difficult for the organization to send him back to Juniors instead of keeping him in the NHL. He had an impressive season, but it was cut short in February with season-ending shoulder surgery.
This season, he made the roster again out of training camp, and in 14 games, he had a goal and three assists in Boston before being sent to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). That move happened in November before former coach Jim Montgomery was fired and he had a message for the second-round pick in the 2022 Entry Draft. It seems like despite Montgomery not being in charge of the Bruins bench anymore, it’s clear that Poitras heard the message loud and clear.
Matthew Poitras earning a return trip to Boston
Instead of going down to Providence and sulking, Poitras has done the opposite and he is making a case to be back in Boston sooner rather than later. In 11 games with the P-Bruins, he has three goals and seven assists with his three goals coming in his last three games and he is on a four-game pointer heater.
Currently, the Bruins are heading out on a five-game, nine-day road trip through Western Canada and Seattle. This trip generally happens in February, but with the 4 Nations Face-Off taking place over eight days this upcoming February, the NHL schedule moved the trip up two months. That’s going to make it difficult for the Bruins to bring him up before returning home on Dec. 21 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Some may argue that he’s too small for the NHL, but hockey is a contact sport no matter which level you’re in. He has shown that he’s NHL-ready and deserves to be up there, it’s just a matter of whose spot would he take in the lineup. Regardless, Joe Sacco and the front office need to find a way to get him back up into the lineup sooner rather than later.