New CBA agreement reported provision comes three years too late for the Boston Bruins

We are one year away from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the NHL kicking in for the 2026-27 season. One of the new reported revisions in it will come three years too late for the Boston Bruins.

Frank Seravalli reported that one of the new provisions would allow NHL teams to place one 19-year-old CHL player in the American Hockey League (AHL) per season. For Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, former coach Jim Montgomery, and one Black and Gold prospect, it's a few years too late.

New reported CBA agreement could have help the Bruins in 2023-24

This is big for the top prospects in each organization, but for Bruins prospect Matthew Poitras, it comes three years too late. When he earned himself a spot on the roster on opening night in October of 2023, it came with some small print that after nine games, the team and Montgomery had to decide on his future, either keep him in the NHL or send him back to the CHL.

Under the new provision, the decision would have been easier for Boston as they would have had the option to send him to the AHL with the P-Bruins, which would have made the decision early. That would have been big, as after the first couple of months of impressing, he hit a wall and ended up going to play in the World Junior Championship in December, then had his season end in February when he underwent shoulder surgery.

Having this option two years ago would have been big for the Bruins and Poitras. As you expect, over time, the physicality of the NHL caught up with him, and he wore down before getting injured. If the option were there for him to go to Providence, it would have been big for everyone involved and helped with his development. We saw this season that multiple trips to the AHL were beneficial for Poitras. It'll be interesting to see how the Bruins handle this beginning next season.