Breaking: Boston Bruins may re-sign 19-goal scorer

There is no denying that the Boston Bruins need to plug some holes in their lineup.

With the appropriate moves this summer, you can improve your center, left-shot defense, and wing. The Bruins’ future remains uncertain, including whether they will re-sign 19-goal scorer Jake Debrusk. Will the team trade one of their most valuable assets, goaltender Linus Ullmark? Who will the club pursue in free agency? Every decision will have an impact on the roster for the following season.

Offensively, leading scorer David Pastrnak requires assistance. The 47-goal scorer had 43 more points than the next teammate on the list. Even without a real number-one center, Pastrnak is one of the league’s leading goal scorers. In the playoffs, however, the Florida Panthers outshot and out-chanced Boston by a considerable margin, and five-on-five scoring opportunities were a problem. The coaching staff’s philosophy is to prioritize quality over number when it comes to shot attempts, but is that the best way to approach the game with a dearth of playmaking centers?

With this in mind, should Head Coach Jim Montgomery adjust his coaching style? Montgomery came under fire last season for continuously altering lines and making roster changes when leading three games to one in a first-round series against the Panthers. Montgomery proceeded to make lineup changes in the second round of the season, replacing the team’s top faceoff center at the time, John Beecher, despite the Panthers’ dominance at the dot.

Some would argue that Montgomery did an excellent job guiding a squad that many believed would not make the playoffs. Instead, the team missed earning the Atlantic Division title by one point and advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In such situation, the team overachieved, correct? Well, perhaps not. The Bruins won Game 1 in Florida and appeared to be on track to revenge their surprise loss from last year. However, the offensive frequently failed the squad, and Montgomery did not appear to have many solutions or modifications to make.

The Bruins require a few key players to be considered a Stanley Cup contender, and it is up to management to locate them. However, Montgomery is entering the final year of his three-year contract without an extension and will need to demonstrate that he is the proper guy for the job.