Bruins don’t seem ready to give up on Matt Poitras just yet

From the outside, one could argue that Bruins center Matt Poitras has become somewhat of a forgotten piece of the Black and Gold puzzle.

After breaking in as an NHLer during a NHL-or-juniors season back in 2023-24, Poitras currently finds himself in Providence for a second straight season. He's since been passed on the depth chart by Fraser Minten as well as Marat Khusnutdinov, and things may only get more complicated for him and his fit when James Hagens eventually turns pro (likely later this year).

But when Poitras came up during Bruins general manager Don Sweeney's Monday media availability at Brighton's Warrior Ice Arena, Sweeney did his part to make it known that the Bruins still believe in the 21-year-old pivot.

"He's just continuing to round out at a very young age, and he's responding," Sweeney said when asked about Poitras. "It's great to see him continue to round out to be more of a complete player and understand that, managing the puck, managing your shift length, understanding where space is, and staying healthy."

Down in Providence, Poitras has been productive, with 10 goals and 31 points through 49 games, and has totaled 27 goals and 72 points in 89 total games with the P-Bruins over the last two seasons. Poitras also did absolutely nothing to hurt his stock during his latest NHL stint, with a goal on eight shots to go with a plus-1 rating and two blocks in a third-line center role for the club.

"Matty came in and played in the [Stadium Series], scored a hell of a goal, went in and played against a really good team, handled his own against the Florida team, and [brought] competitiveness," Sweeney noted.

Still, the noise is there. Poitras recently changed agents, which is always a sign of unrest to some degree, be it frustration with a current situation or an agent not communicating effectively enough to the player's club. And depending on who you talk to, Poitras may or may not have been involved in the Bruins' failed trade push for then-Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson back in January. And even after that trade failed, some wondered if that three-game run with Boston prior to the break was a bit of a trade showcase for Poitras.

That, along with that aforementioned logjam when it comes to carving out a full-time role for Poitras with Boston, is enough to get the rumor mill going.

But Sweeney wasn't ready to go there.

"We're not disappointed in Matty," Sweeney hammered home. "He's really taken to heart to try and lead a Providence team and help lead a Providence team that's had a hell of a season. He's been a big part of that. So we're still excited about where Matt Poitras is in his development, and he's already proven he can come up and play immediately [and] be inserted into a lineup.”

Still, that won't keep teams from wondering between now and Friday's deadline.