The Bruins’ latest steps in managing the workload for first-year pro Matt Poitras will see Poitras trade in his Bruins sweater for a Team Canada jersey, as the Bruins have officially assigned the 19-year-old to Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed the decision following Monday’s practice at Brighton’s Warrior Ice Arena.
Oct 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) takes a shot against the Florida Panthers during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
“Well, we had a plan in place as you might be aware in more recent weeks that we needed to back off a little bit what his load was,” Sweeney revealed. “We didn’t map out a master [plan] day one, because he was going through the process. Went through rookie camp, go all the way through training camp, playing a lot of games, and just keep meeting benchmarks for himself. And then jumping and playing the line’s share of all the games up until close to the 30 game mark.
“It’s a lot of hockey, and there’s a lot of pressure associated with that. I think what gets him a chance mentally and physically to have a little bit of a reset, go and play against your peer group.”
Oct 21, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) takes a shot against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Crypto.com Arena. (Alex Gallardo/USA TODAY Sports)
What makes this an interesting move for the Bruins is the fact that Poitras has been an impact player for the club for almost the whole season, really. His 13 points are tied for sixth-most among Boston forwards, and his 12 even-strength points also rank sixth among B’s forwards.
Expanding that beyond Boston, Poitras’ 2.06 points per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time also ranks 122nd out of a group of 268 NHL forwards at least 300 even-strength minutes this season.
You could make the case that the Bruins almost can’t afford to lose Poitras to an international tourney.
But with the recent success of Morgan Geekie in an elevated role (Geekie has recorded two goals and four points in his last four games), and a Pavel Zacha return around the corner (at least the Bruins hope), now is as good a time as any for a calculated risk on the part of the B’s per Sweeney.
“Well, with Zacha being out, he really carried a lot of the top line’s role with he and Charlie [Coyle] are all factors. So, getting someone healthy leading up to this decision was certainly part of the process, and why we took this down to the wire to make our decision,” Sweeney offered. “Hopefully we get [Zacha] back this week and Geeks [Morgan Geekie] has played really well since he’s come back from his injury.
“And that depth down the middle of the ice when he’s gone and played there, so we feel a little more comfortable where we are right now than where we had been a couple of weeks ago. But Matty will be missed because he’s done a good job.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 11: Trent Frederic #11 of the Boston Bruins, right, celebrates with Matthew Poitras #51 and Brandon Carlo #25 after scoring a goal during the first period of the Bruins home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden on October 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
As noted, this year’s World Juniors will take place in Sweden, and is set to run from Dec. 26, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024. Based on what Sweeney said about Poitras joining Team Canada, the Bruins expect Poitras to rejoin their club for a four-game road trip that kicks off on Jan. 8 against the Colorado Avalanche.
