Ryan: With Jim Montgomery at the helm, Bruins’ top brass hoping new voice, systems can squeeze more talent out of an entrenched core

The Bruins aren’t expecting seismic changes to their roster this summer.

For all of the narratives surrounding the inevitability of this franchise’s extended window of contention coming to a close, Don Sweeney and the B’s are doing their damndest to wedge this casement ajar for as long as possible.

Granted, considering Boston’s fiscal commitments, it’s not as though the B’s were going to be in a position to significantly overhaul this roster via a flurry of free-agent signings. And given the lack of movement by Boston at last week’s draft up in Montreal, it’s clear that Sweeney wasn’t looking at selling off contracts in pursuit of future prospect capital.

Rather, given all of the smoke surrounding both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci and the 36-year-old pivots’ potential return to Boston, it’s clear that the B’s are fixated on trying to run things back in 2022-23 in hope of one last run. 

For some B’s fans, it’s a short-sighted stopgap that won’t significantly move the needle in the immediate, and potentially hinder the club’s efforts to retool in the years ahead. 

For the Bruins and their new bench boss in Jim Montgomery, it’s a matter of perspective.

Getting bounced in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs might have been a tough pill to swallow, but it’s rather evident at this point that the B’s front-office staff is assessing things through a "glass-half-full" lens. 

Yes, the Bruins’ latest playoff push ended on a sour note, but this was still a roster that won 51 games in a cutthroat Atlantic Division and pushed a Carolina team that absolutely pantsed them all season long to seven games. 

From their point of view, this roster has the personnel in place to still contend. And it’s something that Montgomery echoed during his introductory press conference on Monday at TD Garden.

"As a coach, again, I'm a glass-half-full person,” Montgomery said. “So I'm looking at what we have. And that's what excites me about the job. What we can do with what we have.”

Clearly, both the B’s new head coach and the club’s top brass are presenting a united front when it comes to placing their faith in the potential of this entrenched roster.

Twice during his presser, Montgomery took note of the fact that he was inheriting a team that won 51 games last year. So rather than try and drastically augment the core that’s in place, it’s obvious that both Montgomery and the Bruins are instead focused on drawing more out of this existing group — a gamble that hinges on the former’s ability to build bridges in the dressing room and craft new systems on the ice. 

"I think my biggest strength is being able to connect with people,” Montgomery said. “And whether that's young players, or old players, or that middle core group of your 24-28-year-olds that are incredibly vital. I think the most important thing is I'm going to communicate how important everyone's role is to the team's success. And I will always come back to how that person's individual success can help the team’s success.”

As soon as the B’s management staff stressed the need for a “new voice” behind the bench following Bruce Cassidy’s firing, the writing was on the wall.

After Cassidy’s propensity for candid and sometimes harsh comments — be in in the room or echoed through a microphone during a postgame presser — sowed malcontents in Boston’s room, Sweeney and Co. were ready to switch gears. 

Montgomery’s track record of harping on positive messaging, especially as it pertains to younger players looking to find their footing at pro hockey’s highest level, could pay dividends when it comes to coaxing more production out of a supporting cast that far too often failed to make a consistent impact on Boston’s depth chart.

Montgomery’s appointment seems to be already paying off — considering that Jake DeBrusk has already rescinded his trade request and is looking to build off a 25-goal campaign in 2021-22. 

"I think the culture of communication, listening first, listening to learn. ... And being able to understand where someone may be coming from. You have to be mindful of that. I think it really opens up — if I'm going to preach that we're going to be very open-minded with our team, well I better lead by example. So those values, I think, will lead to very open and honest communication.”

But for as much as the 2022-23 Bruins will likely be leaning on the usual suspects such as the currently-injured Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand (and perhaps Bergeron/Krejci?) to lead the way, Boston desperately needs green skaters like Trent Frederic, John Beecher, Jakub Zboril, Oskar Steen and potentially even Fabian Lysell to start pulling on the rope and supplementing this core with regular contributions. 

Montgomery’s willingness to let players take some chances without the fear of getting the hook on the ice stands as one of the primary reasons why he’s cultivated a positive reputation around league circles for being a players’ coach that is able to get an entire dressing room to buy into his messaging.

And the Bruins will be hoping that his positive preachings will help Boston alleviate the pains of a potential retool further down the road by allowing the next generation of B’s talent to thrive in the NHL ranks. 

"I think the biggest thing is realizing what they can do and trying to emphasize those strengths. And it's different for every player,” Montgomery said. “If you're a player that possesses the puck, it's going to be how long do you have the puck on your stick in a game? If you're a player that's a big physical player  — how many turnovers are you creating and how well are you protecting pucks below the dots? If you're an offensive defenseman, it's how many times are you part of the rush? How often are you getting shots through at the point? How often are you going on the backside when we have puck possession in the offensive zone? 

“So I think it depends on what a player can do. And you try and focus on communicating those strengths while using practice habits that translate into game habits, following it up with video and then putting the icing on the cake with some analytics that could help them. Because everyone now is very number-oriented. And everyone wants results. Analytics give you that compared to 30 years ago.”

Of course, the B’s didn’t just bring in Montgomery to assuage the concerns of a dressing room that grew weary of Cassidy’s blunt assessments. 

As we dissected in our breakdown of Montgomery’s coaching habits and principles, the former Stars head coach (and later Blues assistant coach) is primed to incorporate a new system that harps more on puck possession and “hard mistakes” as opposed to Cassidy’s shot-heavy and transition-focused style — a sizable tweak that clearly won Sweeney and Neely over when it comes to getting more tangible scoring out of this group.

"Jim just resonated with us from his presentation of what he wanted to do, his conviction of getting an opportunity and feeling that he was going to be a much-improved coach in his second opportunity,” Sweeney said. “Some of the things we discussed in the changes that he saw under a head coach in Craig Berube and his staff in St. Louis and what he wanted to bring. Just the constant involvement of Jim as a coach, a hockey coach, and he's kind of a student of the game in the same way he's a teacher of the game.

“All the checkpoints — wanting to create a little bit more, looking at our roster, acknowledging that maybe there are areas we can continue to improve. But excited about the challenges of working with the players that are currently here as well and getting him to a higher level. For us, it just checked the boxes of winning history, a coach that has an open mind to communication, as well as an evolving style of play. Playing against Colorado, taking that team to six games and what St. Louis had to do there and really breaking down our team as well, and the areas of the game that he felt our team needed to improve upon.”

The free-agency feeding frenzy will commence on Wednesday, but other than the potential return of Bergeron/Krejci, the B’s aren’t necessarily in a position to net any big fish on the market.

There are no splashes on the horizon. No franchise-altering deals that will likely be cooked up between now and training camp.

No, the Bruins are instead doubling down on this same roster that both thrilled — and disappointed — fans throughout the 2021-22 campaign.

From their vantage point, Montgomery’s impact in the room and on the ice is enough to reverse the fortunes of what should be a talented (albeit aging) core. 

Perhaps their glass-half-full vision will be realized. Or perhaps they’re just denying the inevitable.