It has come and gone at the speed of light, but the offseason for the NHL is moving fast. With the NHL Draft wrapped up and the free agency frenzy completed, the countdown to October is on. The Boston Bruins have made headlines this offseason and big splashes in numerous ways.
The first order of business for general manager Don Sweeney was parting ways with Vezina goaltender Linus Ullmark. He did manage to get back into the first round this past draft and selected 6-foot-7 center Dean Letourneau. With the lack of center depth in the pipeline this was a great grab. Also, Sweeney made big splashes in free agency by signing Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to long-term deals. However, the team did lose Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen in free agency, which leaves a vacant spot on the right wing on the second line. That leads us to Development Camp, which is currently underway at Warrior Ice Arena.
Sweeney already eluded to the fact that the vacant spot on the second line will be up for grabs. You can expect guys like Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell to seize the opportunity if they can have a similar attitude that Charlie Coyle had entering the 2023-24 season. Those aren’t the only two young players to watch out for though. Center Matthew Poitras will be an important player for the Bruins entering the 2024-25 season and looks to come back rejuvenated.
Reflecting On Poitras’ Rookie Season
One of the more pleasant surprises during the 2023-24 season was the emergence of Poitras. He was a player that was going into his second training camp with the team. The 2022 second-round pick came in with the right approach and attitude and did everything in his power to have the coaches keep him around. It was either the Bruins or back to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Bruins made the right call keeping him in the fold.
Related: Zadorov & Lindholm Provide Needed Depth for the Bruins
Poitras was a breath of fresh air, as he was the perfect injection of youth into the lineup. He plays with great speed and poise, and excels with the puck on his stick. He is a good playmaker and showed all the tools in his toolbox that was worth keeping him around. Also, he was impactful with his game and gave the Bruins added depth into the lineup.
Poitras finished the regular season with five goals and 15 points in 33 games. He got off to a blistering hot start, notching five goals and 11 points in the first two months of action. Also, it only took five games into…
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