Bruins' powerplay is becoming an X-Factor early in the 2025-26 season

The hiring of Marco Sturm is already paying dividends for the Boston Bruins, but there is an underrated hiring that might be the difference in the future. The organization added Steve Spott to be an assistant coach under Sturm with a plan for him to fix a struggling power play, and it's already looking much better than last season.

It's hard to give him full credit for fixing it until we see how teams adjust through the first few weeks of the season, but Spott's ability to put forth new plans on the fly is going to be a massive asset for the Bruins this season. The rumor was that Spott drew up the unreal set breakout for Elias Lindholm's power-play goal on opening night, and Lindholm's goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 was the result of another brilliant zone entry.

Zone entries were the most significant problem for the Bruins' power play during the 2024-25 season. The single-player delay was causing the team massive problems, as the remaining skaters were too stagnant at the attacking blue line. Spott and Sturm have been instituting a breakout that features two players going back for the delay and playing catch, which has proven to be much more reliable.

One criticism of Steve Spott

One issue I had with past coaches was that they lacked the confidence to take Charlie McAvoy off the first power play. He is undoubtedly the MVP of the defense corps, but he shouldn't be running the first unit. McAvoy has some questionable decision-making at the top of the 1-3-1, and Hampus Lindholm (depending on his health) or Mason Lohrei would be much better options.

While the power play has been looking good through the first two games, making that switch up top might help take it to another level. It is a pride thing for McAvoy as the top offensive defenseman in the league quarterback their team's top powerplay unit, but it might be time for McAvoy to realize his two-way tendencies might not include being a powerplay specialist.