Marco Sturm's potential as the Boston Bruins' head coach was evident last season. His vision for the team was clear, and it seemed like it would work, but some roster decisions handcuffed his ability to develop young talent. The coach could only play with the cards Don Sweeney and the front office dealt him, but that has changed this season.
The problem with bringing in Sturm to get the most out of the Bruins' roster last season is that a veteran-heavy bottom-six had already reached their potential. He wasn't going to get much more out of players like Michael Eyssimont, or even the fourth line that played well but had a cap on how much they could actually contribute.
At some point, whether it was adding a forward-thinking Kevyn Adams to the front office or a sudden change of heart from Sweeney and Cam Neely, Sturm got the chance to develop some of these young players. With this new tool, Sturm has gone from a high-potential head coach to one of the league's best bench bosses.
Marco Sturm's ability to coach young players is paying off
One of Sturm's ideals heading into this season was to let the defense contribute more offense from the back end. With that in mind, Mason Lohrei and Frederic Brunet have blossomed and show no signs of leaving the lineup, which no one really expected entering the season. By playing to the young players' strengths, Sturm might've extended Lohrei's tenure with the Bruins and created a long-term defensive pairing for the organization.
His ability to get the most out of his players is extending to forwards like Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Instead of burying them in the lineup last season, he gave both forwards the chance to flourish, and now they're playing in the top six on one of the league's top teams.
The front office's change of heart might've had something to do with that development from two of their young forwards. Sweeney and Neely might've looked at what Sturm's coaching did for those two players and believed he could do the same for others. It is paying off in spades, with early returns from Brunet, Lohrei, James Hagens, and Matthew Poitras.
Sturm can now lead the Bruins the way everyone envisioned when the front office brought him in. Hiring a coach whose strength was developing young players to lead a veteran-heavy roster didn't make much sense last season, but his second year in charge is showing his true strengths, and that doesn't mean he was bad in his first year.
Sturm deserved more Jack Adams love for getting the Bruins into the playoffs in his first season, but if he keeps this form in his second season, he has to be the front-runner to win Coach of the Year.
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