Bruins send Matt Poitras down to Providence
BOSTON -- In a bit of a surprising move, the Boston Bruins have assigned Matt Poitras to Providence of the AHL.
The move came just a few hours after Poitras was a spare skater without a line at Monday's practice. Boston head coach Jim Montgomery announced a short time later that Poitras would be out of the lineup for Tuesday night's game against the Blues in St. Louis, with Morgan Geekie jumping back into the mix for Boston.
Asked what he'd like to see out of Poitras going forward, Montgomery responded: "More of an impact in the game. Making more plays and understanding our structure."
The 20-year-old will now work on those things at the AHL level for the first time in his career.
Matt Poitras with the Boston Bruins
Poitras signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Bruins in May of 2023 and played so well in the preseason that he earned a spot Boston's NHL roster as a 19-year-old. He got off to a promising start with three goals and a pair of assists last October, but his season ended in January when he had to undergo shoulder surgery. Over his 33 games with Boston, Poitras had five goals and 10 assists.
He bulked up over the offseason and carried even more promise heading into the 2024-25 season, but ended up missing the end of training camp and the first two games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury. Poitras scored a goal in Boston's 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 2, but that is his only tally of the season. Over 14 games, Poitras had three assists and was a minus-4 over 12:43 of average ice time for the Bruins.
He's certainly not the only player struggling on the offensive end for Boston, with the Bruins averaging just 2.5 goals per game this season. But this is the first year that Poitras is eligible to play in the AHL, so the Bruins are sending him down for a little more fine-tuning to his game.
The Bruins are 7-7-2 on the season heading into Tuesday night's game against the Blues.
