Bruins lose assistant coach to Maple Leafs organization
For the second summer in a row, the Bruins will find themselves in the market for a new assistant coach, as John Gruden has left the Bruins for a head coaching gig with the Toronto Marlies, the top minor-league affiliation of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“We’re very pleased to name John as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies,” Maple Leafs assistant general manager Ryan Hardy said in a statement announcing the hiring Tuesday. “John has supported the development and performance of his players throughout his coaching career while delivering team success at every level. His resume from the U.S. National Team Development Program to the OHL and eventually the NHL has armed him with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable to both players and staff.”
Gruden’s departure for Toronto puts an end to his Bruins tenure after just one season, with Gruden brought over by Jim Montgomery and Don Sweeney as the club’s replacement for Kevin Dean. (The Bruins actually moved on from Dean prior to hiring Montgomery, and actually let Bruce Cassidy make the decision for the club to part ways with Dean, who had been with the organization since 2011, prior to firing Cassidy just weeks later.)
In Boston, Gruden was in charge of helping run the Black and Gold’s defense, and ran the Boston power play.
Boston’s defense was littered with career-highs — be it from goals, points, plus-minus, and beyond — while the Bruins as a team allowed the eighth-fewest shots against per game (29.8) and allowed the 11th-fewest scoring chances and 10th-fewest high-danger chances per 60 of five-on-five play, according to NaturalStatTrick.
On the man advantage, the Bruins were one of the hottest power-play teams in the league in the first half of the though, but went through what was an absolutely ridiculous cold spell in the second half. Still, Boston’s power play finished in the top half of the league, with a 22.2 percent success rate (12th-best in the NHL), and went 11-for-27 on the power play in the playoffs.
Gruden is the only departure from the B’s staff at the moment, it would appear, as both Chris Kelly and Joe Sacco are expected to remain on Montgomery’s staff, while Bob Essensa remains the team’s goaltending coach. Sacco, for what it’s worth, was at one point considered a favorite for the Anaheim Ducks head coaching vacancy before the team opted to hire then-AHL Colorado head coach and Arlington, Mass. native Greg Cronin.
