Bergeron Weighs in on Bruins’ Struggles and Rumors Buzz

There is plenty of trade talk coming out of the Boston Bruins organization this week, as Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported, “They’ve definitely been out there looking to see if there’s something they can do to shake them up.” He added, “There’s definitely a lot of intensity in Boston.”

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According to previous reports summarized by several sources, the Bruins want to add to their top-six forward mix. One NHL executive who talked to RG.org on Nov. 12, said they were particularly looking to land a scoring winger or potentially another center.

The Bruins don’t have a single player on their roster above a point-per-game pace. The closest is David Pastrnak with 17 points in 19 games. Brad Marchand follows with 13 points and struggling is Elias Lindholm with two goals and nine points. Head coach Jim Montgomery has had public squabbles with two of these three players and there is early chatter that Marchand’s future after this season is in question — despite it being unlikely he leaves the Bruins.

Is It Time the Bruins Move on from the Coach?

The club is now 8–8–3 on the season and seemingly ready to make a move. Something has to give, whether it be to replace the coach or pull the trigger on a trade. They are 5th in goals against and 25th in goals for. Pete Blackburn believes it’s time to fire the coach. He notes, “Clearly there is a leadership problem on this team. You look at the execution, you look at the effort level, I don’t think either one of those things is there. The discipline has been horrendous.”

There was turnover from last year to this season but it’s not been drastic enough to explain why things have fallen so far. Former Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron believes they can turn things around, but he might be in the minority. “They have a lot of new guys, a lot of guys coming from different teams,” Bergeron said. “Sometimes it takes a little longer to adjust or come together as a team, but they’ve shown a lot of great things through some stretches.” He adds, “They have a good team that I really believe in.”

Is Bergeron right? Or, is it time the Bruins did something to stop the bleeding? Bergeron reminded fans that “Sticking together and trying to fix the things you need to work on as a team is key.” The sky isn’t falling and the team can still “… build from the good things and don’t listen to whatever is on the outside. 

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Maple Leafs, Pens, Habs & Wings