Well, it’s late April, and the Boston Bruins are not preparing for the playoffs. Instead, their lockers are empty, and the season is (mercifully) over. The only playoff sport being played at the TD Garden this spring is basketball, as the Boston Celtics look to repeat as NBA Champions.
The Bruins ended the season 33-39-10; they had a goal differential of minus-50, and they have an 8.5 percent chance of picking first overall. The last time they picked first overall was 1997, and they picked Joe Thornton. The last time Boston picked close to the top pick was 2010 when they drafted Tyler Seguin second overall.
Related: 3 Bruins’ Bright Spots From 2024-25 Season
While this season is undoubtedly one of the worst Boston fans have seen in a while, in the spirit of the holiday, there must be some positive things that Bruins fans are hoping that come out of the offseason. Since it’s not December, and we can’t wish that Santa Claus gives them good tidings, here are three items that fans should hope the Easter Bunny dropped in their baskets this year.
#1 – A New Coach
I mean, yes, Joe Sacco was good when he was first named to be the interim head coach of the Bruins, but when that went south, it went south very fast. Sacco lost the locker room, management was forced to deal players like Brad Marchand at the deadline to fix said locker room issues, and after winning eight out of its first 20 games, Boston didn’t much improve from there, winning just 25 more.
Sacco had success in his first season when he was with the Colorado Avalanche, but that was not the case here. Some believe he was ill-equipped for the job, while others just point to the fact that he was an assistant for far too long and sat behind too many coaches. In Colorado, while Sacco had success initially, it was short-lived as he missed the playoffs the following three seasons and was promptly fired after year four.
After year one, however, is where the Bruins need to cut the cord. Sacco needs to find his way outside of the team he grew up watching to make his way in the National Hockey League. While it may be painful for the front office to walk away from someone who has been around the organization for so long, it’s the cost of doing business in such a cutthroat city.
One option to take his place is John Tortorella. Tortorella, who was recently fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, is a prime candidate. Not only did he grow up in Concord, Massachusetts, but he also played his college hockey in the Hockey East at the University of Maine. Tortorella is no stranger to cutthroat cities himself, coming from Philadelphia and previously coaching in New York with the Rangers. He could slide in quite easily, unless reports are to be believed that a reunion with New York is possible.
Another possible candidate is Mike Sullivan. While Sullivan has a good thing going with the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is a chance he takes a look at the Bruins as a team with a lot of promise for the future. Currently, he has all the veteran pieces he wants with the Penguins in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, but he may opt for something that has a chance at longer-term future success rather than just immediate (or past) successes.
While there will likely be many names circling given the high chance that the “interim head coach” tag is removed in place of the “former head coach” tag for Sacco, these are just two that come to mind.
#2 – A New Contract for Morgan Geekie
While Morgan Geekie will undoubtedly not be the top-line center in the 2025-26 season, he is a restricted free agent in the offseason and should be locked up by Boston as soon as they can do so. Geekie had one heck of a season for the Bruins in 2024-25, and there is no doubt that he should be rewarded for it, and will be, whether it is by Boston or some other squad that sees his potential.
At 26 years old, Geekie is bound to get better as he goes on, but his 2024-25 season numbers speak for themselves. Geekie set career-highs with 77 games played, 33 goals, and 24 assists. He also had a career-high four game-winning goals. Geekie has definitely enamored himself both with the city of Boston and Bruins fans alike, so it would be foolish for general manager Don Sweeney to look at his numbers and take the passive approach and wait for offer sheets to come in for him.
While, yes, Geekie will not anchor the top line outside of injury, he will most likely fit into the top-six of Boston forwards in the 2025-26 season. Geekie did, however, show some flexibility in the 2024-25 season, playing on the wing at times when he needed to, and that is definitely something teams will look favorably on as soon as free agency begins.
Geekie has already expressed his love for Boston and his desire to stay with the Bruins long-term – whether that becomes a reality, remains to be seen.
#3 – A More Confident/Less Cocky, More Successful Jeremy Swayman
Going into the 2024-25 season, Boston almost had to start Joonas Korpisalo alongside an American Hockey League (AHL) goaltender who had not even touched the ice outside of warm-ups. Luckily for the Bruins, just before camp started, Jeremy Swayman inked a long-term deal to stay with the team. He didn’t look like himself, however.
Throughout the season, Swayman looked sloppy. He wasn’t playing up to his standards, he was letting shots in that he normally stops with ease, and was making very bizarre statements before the season, ranging from what he said about “going to business school” to wanting to be a top-five netminder in the league.
I mean, yes, he is getting paid to be in the top-five, but in order to get to that position, he needs to start playing like someone who deserves that spot and not one who just simply gets handed the job at the beginning of the season because of the amount of money he is getting paid. Swayman was cocky all season, and something that fans would to see in their Easter baskets this year would be is a more reserved version of himself.
The Providence Bruins Are Still Playing
While the Bruins in Boston are done for the season, the Providence Bruins of the AHL are not done with their season after finishing third in the Atlantic Division. The P-Bruins will likely play the Springfield Thunderbirds (affiliate of the St. Louis Blues), according to their website, with Game 1 being on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
