After beginning a five-game road trip Tuesday night with an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, there was a lot of eyes on the Boston Bruins and just how they would respond Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken. If anything, the response was very concerning and is quickly becoming a trend with the same issues over and over and over again in 2024-25. This one, however, might be the most concerning we’ve seen this season and that’s saying a lot.
In the past, the Black and Gold have been able to respond to poor games quickly and turn the page. From the opening puck drop Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena that was not the case in a 5-1 loss. It is not reaching the point where a coaching change is the only thing that needs to happen. That’s not putting any blame on Joe Sacco or Jim Montgomery, but more of an issue with the front office, mainly Don Sweeney and Cam Neely.
2024-25 off-season decisions by the Bruins continue to backfire
This past summer was the summer that GM Don Sweeney and Bruins fans had been waiting for, a ton of cap space to build the next Stanley Cup contender. His two biggest signings were Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov and both players have been underwhelming so far. To compound matters, Sweeney let Jake DeBrusk leave in free agency and currently, he has 14 goals, which is two more goals than the Bruins’ leader, Brad Marchand, and four more than David Pastrnak.
Scoring has been an issue for the Black and Gold this season and as productive depth pieces last season, Danton Heinen and James van Riemsdyk, also left in free agency. In the big picture, it might not be a big deal, but when Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, and everyone else struggle, it becomes more glaring. It feels right now that when Boston gets down a goal, it’s too much to dig out of. If you were not surprised with the two-goal third-period overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, then you would be lying.
There were multiple needs the Bruins needed to address and failed to address some of the bigger ones, including depth scoring. There is no way they should have the 32nd-ranked power play in the NHL, but here we are. Their penalty-killing has left a lot to be desired as well. Penalties? Yes, they can’t get out of their own way and stay out of the box. Two straight games and two straight high-sticking double-minors.
The struggles this season are partly due to roster construction and it appears that after all, Montgomery was not the issue and neither is Sacco. Towards the end of Montgomery's tenure in Boston, he was a frustrated coach and you can see why. Any team with a pulse toward the playoffs right now is a mismatch for the Black and Gold and in the end, that will ultimately lead to them being on the outside looking in of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the spring. It starts at the top and the failures of Sweeney and Neely are on display in 2024-25.