The Bruins are approaching what’s expected to be a busy offseason. With several players set to officially become unrestricted free agents on July 1 and around $21 million in cap space, Boston will have roster decisions to make.
Coach Jim Montgomery recently joined the “NHL Wraparound Podcast” and revealed where he hopes his team improves this summer.
“Where our roster hopefully improves — hopefully, we get more skill, hopefully, we get more speed, toughness. There’s a lot of elements that a team can always use to improve,” he said. “I just have a lot of trust in Don Sweeney that he’s gonna do those things.”
During the Bruins’ end-of-season media availability with Montgomery, Sweeney, Cam Neely and Charlie Jacobs, the general manager said he expects to be “aggressive” this offseason and will “look to add” to their core group of players and be able to complement what they already have. There were also remarks from the Bruins’ brass that they need to get faster as well as bring in players who can provide secondary scoring.
Regardless of what Sweeney pulls off this summer, Montgomery is confident in the GM and knows he is setting the coach up with a chance to succeed.
“The fortunate thing is, we’re in communication all the time. I understand where he is trying to improve the roster, but it’s so hard to dictate where we’re going to improve,” Montgomery said on the “NHL Wraparound Podcast.” “I just have a lot of trust in Don and the incredible amount of work he does and how bright he is. He’s always going to give myself and the coaching staff a great opportunity.”
The Bruins would certainly benefit from adding a true No. 1 center this summer. While Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle stepped up and took on a larger role during the 2023-24 season, Zacha also had success on the wing while Coyle thrives in the third-line center position. By getting a No. 1 center, it might also help lead to consistency when it comes to the forward lines. Montgomery hasn’t shied away from shuffling the lines during his time as coach — sometimes on several occasions during a game — and a little consistency could go a long way in helping the roster.
There’s also the question of Linus Ullmark’s future. The goalie, along with Jeremy Swayman, provided Boston with a talented tandem. But with the opportunity to add a little extra cap space, and Ullmark going into the final year of his contract, it’s possible the Bruins look to move him. His name has come up in trade rumors of late, and Sweeney said he’d look at all possibilities when it came to Ullmark.
Aside from the extra cap space and history of success the Bruins have had over the last decade, Montgomery believes the culture within the Bruins locker room and having core veteran players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo and Coyle gives Boston “a leg up” on other teams “because there’s a tremendous amount of pride” players take in wearing the eight-spoked B.
