Bruins report indicates short and long-term status of interim head coach Joe Sacco
The Boston Bruins have a new interim head coach in Joe Sacco. And now we have a clear idea of his status behind the bench, for both now and in the long-term.
That is thanks to top NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, who tweeted some fresh information on the Bruins’ decision to fire Jim Montgomery as head coach and install Sacco, a longtime assistant, with an “interim” tag. Sacco is not going to have to coach the team while the front office looks for a potential replacement, which is good news for him.
“Joe Sacco has the interim tag, but the Bruins will give him a real look before reaching out to any other candidates,” LeBrun said. “My understanding is there won’t be a coaching search for now. Sacco is well-liked and well respected within the organization and gets a real crack at it first.”
Despite Sacco’s short-term safety and real opportunity to earn a permanent appointment as head coach, the report also implies that the team has certainly not committed to Sacco as head coach beyond the current season. It’s an indication that his long-term status is directly tied to how the team performs under him.
There’s no question that the Bruins can play better than their 8-9-3 record, and aggregate stats, would suggest. David Pastrnak (0.85 points/game) is on pace for under a point per game for the first time in seven years. Charlie McAvoy (0.35 points/game) is on the lowest scoring pace of his career, just as he enters his prime at age 26. Jeremy Swayman, fresh off signing an eight-year, $66 million extension, is 5-7-2 with a ghastly 3.47 goals against average and .884 save percentage.
Sacco is tasked with turning it around for those three guys, especially. Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Swayman are the Bruins’ future, their present, their young core, their highest-paid players, and they simply need to perform and produce like it. Bruins management is hoping that, perhaps above all else, Sacco can unlock them going forward.
If he doesn’t, it sounds like the Bruins would be likely to look elsewhere for a long-term answer at the head coach spot. And if they miss the playoffs entirely? Potentially, everyone’s job could be on the line.
Big, big rest-of-season coming up for the Bruins. Players, coaches, executives, everyone.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
