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Do you ever get that feeling that a Monday truly feels like a Monday? It’s the beginning of the week and you can tell it’s going to be a rough start to it. Well, the Boston Bruins delivered a heavyweight punch of news that was shocking. They sent down forward Matthew Poitras to the Providence Bruins. He has only four points in 14 games this season for the Bruins. However, he has been one of the most impactful players on the ice.
Poitras Is Impacting the Game
It has been a tough go for the Bruins this season. They sit third in the Atlantic Division and with a .500 winning percentage, so it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. However, the team has been searching for an influx of offense and head coach Jim Montgomery has been going to the line blender more often than not this early into the season. The move is a shock to most and Montgomery labeled his reasons for it.
“More of an impact on the game, making more plays, understanding our structure.”
The coach has his reasons and rightfully so. Although, Poitras is impacting the game the best on the Bruins and is arguably one of the most impactful forwards on this roster.
During five-on-five play, Poitras has the best Corsi for percentage (53.41) and is helping control the play more often than chasing it. Also, he has the best expected goals for percentage (xGF%) when on the ice with 56.06. Sure, the team has scored below their expected rate despite the offensive generation, but it’s there. What he’s done is also create quality chances and dominate the high danger areas of the ice. When on the ice, the Bruins are out attempting the opposition 22-11 and have three goals from the area.
This sounds like a player you’d want to keep around. Is the production there? Not exactly. You can say that for a lot of players on the team right now. But Poitras is impacting the game and is making an all-around effort that benefits the team at five-on-five. It’s an area that the Bruins have struggled in this season, so sending him down is a puzzling thing.
Does Poitras benefit from this at all?
How This Benefits Poitras
The most important thing is player development. It is not to say that Poitras is not ready for the NHL, because he certainly has shown he can play at this level. Although, the Bruins sending him to the minors can help him round out his game and work on the things he needs to work on.
With the inconsistent lines, it’s hard for Poitras to find and develop any form of chemistry. That can also be said about the rest of the roster. Also, he is not playing top minutes nor is he getting top power play time. Given his impacts offensively, he is a player you want to put in all offensive situations and he simply is not getting that opportunity.
Down in Providence, not only will he get that opportunity but he will also be playing with a skilled winger in Fabian Lysell. If he is not going to get it here, getting it in Providence is good for his overall game and confidence.
So where do the Bruins go from here?
What’s Next for the Bruins
The Bruins will now flip the script and try and find new ways to generate offense. They are coming off a game where they had zero shots on goal in the third period and fired only seven shot attempts in all situations. They need offense, but they also need consistency. The roster is the roster at this given rate, but something has to give somewhere.
The Bruins are moving Morgan Geekie to the top line alongside Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. The one line that has impressed is Brad Marchand, Justin Brazeau, and Elias Lindholm. The most valuable line for the Bruins in the fourth line is back together.
Also, with Poitras going down, the team has recalled Max Jones. He is going to be the extra forward, but you would much rather have Poitras in the mix than anything.
Sending Poitras Down Is the Wrong Move
Sending Poitras down is the wrong move. For a team that is struggling mightily at five-on-five and offensively as a whole, sending down your best offensive player impact-wise is a puzzling decision. The roster is the roster given the way general manager Don Sweeney constructed it, but Poitras needs to be part of the puzzle, not the piece that went missing. You hope the demotion is something that helps grow his game, but also see that the big club roster can figure things out. It is going to be something to monitor as we advance to Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.
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