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 the season for him to score his first-ever NHL goal.
It wasn’t just the production and continued impact that made Poitras special. His impacts while on the ice were notable. At five-on-five play, he finished with a Corsi for percentage of 49.94%, which was the most among centers on the Bruins that logged more than 100 minutes of time on ice. Also, the Bruins held the edge in shots on goal and had a positive goal differential with him out there. That checks out, as Poitras accounted for 18.33 expected goals for (xGF) and finished with an expected goals for percentage (xGF%) of 54.31. Puck possession was on their side and the results were evident with him on the ice. He was a tremendous asset to the team and was sorely missed when he had his injury.
What To Expect In Year Two
After what was a promising start to his young career, it got detailed with an injury. On Dec. 9, 2023, Poitras took a big hit in the game against the Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Hockey Club). Ultimately, that hit ended his season and he underwent shoulder surgery.
Poitras touched on that hit and how it ended his season saying, “I needed to put on a bit of size,” Poitras said of his offseason priorities. “I came into camp last year definitely undersized. There were some bigger guys that maybe I couldn’t hold my own against as much.”
Sometimes that’s the case with smaller players and it’s not the first time a guy has come into the league a bit undersized. However, Poitras has undergone rehabilitation of his shoulder and is skating at Development Camp. While undergoing rehab, he has added around eight or nine pounds of muscle and mass to his smaller frame. That’s good news, as he looks to be stronger on his skates as he goes into puck battles. Puck possession was a strong part of his game and what made him valuable last season. He is not a player who’s going to play a heavy forecheck and be a bruising fourth-line grinder type. However, adding that size can benefit him when he does go into the corners and battles for pucks along the wall.
Touching on what the added size has done for him, Poitras feels stronger. He has goals in mind and what he can do to elevate his game. He went on to say, “I feel a bit stronger. … I want to be able to win those one-on-one battles because I’m a guy who likes to have the puck up in the zone.”
That’s comforting to hear and the confidence to see in such a young player. He will also look to get stronger in the faceoff circle, performing better than the 47.6% success rate he had during the 2023-24 season. This is also an area the Bruins struggled with as a whole, especially during the playoff run. Even with adding Lindholm, a strong second season from Poitras will go a long way to the Bruins having further success.
Poitras Makes the Bruins Stronger
All eyes will be on the young guys this summer. With the vacant spot open on the wing position and Poitras, it will be great to see them all take the next steps in their development. He seems to have a growing confidence in himself and always has the right attitude. He is always full of smiles and is a great presence to have in the lineup.
Poitras likely will be tasked with centering the third line with Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie as his wings. If he can elevate his game and bring that same impactful presence this season, the Bruins will be much deeper overall and down the middle of the ice. Year two for Poitras is going to be special.
