When the Boston Bruins were looking for a head coach last spring, there were some names being floated about for general manager Don Sweeney to hire his second coach in three years. That's not something a general manager wants to do. It's also putting a lot of pressure on the GM and front office.
When the dust settled, the Bruins and Sweeney hired former forward Marco Sturm as their next coach. It caught a lot of people by surprise. However, after one season, it appears to be the right move for a club that is going through some big transitions.
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News ranked the NHL head coaches, and his ranking for Sturm and his description of his first campaign in Boston were spot on.
Marco Sturm lands near the middle of the head coaches' ranking by The Hockey News
When the puck was dropped on the 2025-26 season, not many people had the Boston Bruins as an Eastern Conference playoff team. Through the first month of the season, it looked like it was going to be a long winter in Boston. However, things turned around the first of the year, and the Bruins ended up securing the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 100 points.
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They were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Buffalo Sabres in six games, but the foundation has been laid by Sturm and his staff. However, despite the success they had, Proteau said what all Boston fans are thinking: more talent is needed.
"The Sabres beat the Bruins, but given that Boston is transitioning to a new era, Sturm did the best he could with a roster that’s still a major work-in-progress,'' wrote Proteau. "Sturm had a terrific first season as Bruins coach, and he’s trending upward on this list because he’s already had notable positive results.''
The positive results were definitely there. However, Proteau hits the nail on the head by saying that the roster is still a major work in progress. So far this offseason, there haven't been many moves by Sweeney that have improved what many feel is a flawed roster. Sturm is a coach who came in and put in his system, and it worked for one season. For it to work for more seasons, more talent is needed, and if he gets it, he'll skyrocket up the rankings next season.
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