Bruins major move amid horrid start reeks of nothing but desperation

Despite lower expectations, the Boston Bruins managed to rack up 109 points in the 2023-24 regular season, finishing just one point below the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division.

The Bruins followed their successful season by making several offseason moves, bringing in impactful players like Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov among others as they looked to put together another strong season. It's safe to say that the results have not followed.

An ugly 5-1 loss to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday brought the Bruins record to 8-9-3 on the season. They're tied for third place in an underperforming Atlantic Division, but their -21 goal differential is tied for the second-worst mark in the NHL, only ahead of the 7-10-3 Pittsburgh Penguins, who are at -25. The Bruins do not look close to a team that can win or even come close to winning a Stanley Cup.

It turns out that the embarrassing loss on Monday was the turning point for the Bruins, as they made the decision to fire head coach Jim Montgomery. Associate coach Joe Sacco is going to take Montgomery's place on an interim basis. The Bruins were clearly dissatisfied with how the team was playing and wanted a shake-up.

While Montgomery deserves some blame for the team's slow start, it's hard to say that this move was anything but desperation coming from Boston.

Jim Montgomery firing reeks of Bruins desperation following slow start to season

Yes, this season has been a tremendous disappointment. Boston only has two players with double-digit points, and their star goaltender, Jeremy Swayman, has struggled mightily shortly after inking a long-term extension with Boston. With that being said, though, Montgomery's track record would suggest that he deserved more time.

Montgomery took Bruce Cassidy's place ahead of the 2022-23 season and led the Bruins to a record-breaking 135-point campaign. That season ended in a major first-round loss, but a 135-point season is absurd.

He followed that up by leading the Bruins to the aforementioned 109-point campaign despite Patrice Bergeron opting to retire. The Bruins were pegged by many to take a major step back, but finished comfortably in playoff positioning.

This season has gone poorly, but a 120-41-23 record in the regular season is nothing short of bonkers. The Bruins have, by any measure, been the best regular season team in the NHL under Montgomery since he took over.

For reference, Montgomery had a .715 point percentage in 184 games as Boston's head coach. Not a single team in the NHL has over a .694 point percentage in roughly 20 games. Montgomery was that good in a much larger sample.

Can this firing spark the team? Perhaps. We've seen head coaching firings make a difference. Even the Bruins going from Cassidy to Montgomery clearly had some sort of positive impact in Montgomery's first season in Beantown. Still, it's hard to shake the desperate feeling. It isn't only Montgomery's fault that this season has gotten off to a rocky beginning, and it feels as if their decision to let a clear high-end coach depart could come back to bite them.