Could Jim Montgomery Be on His Way Out in Boston?

Boston Bruins Could Be Making a Coaching Change Sooner Than Expected

Even though there were a lot of changes on the roster, the expectations were the Boston Bruins would be a good team again. But nobody expected them to be off to the start they are sitting near the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

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Though there were rumblings and speculation that Jim Montgomery was on the hot seat entering the season, nobody thought it would play out like this.

Dennis Bernstein of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal on Friday and was asked about Jim Montgomery’s future with the Boston Bruins if the team can’t turn it around and start winning games.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

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Host: What’s going to happen in Boston?

Dennis Bernstein: They don’t turn around. They’ll fire the coach. He doesn’t have an extension going after the season. They’re a minus – 13. They looked so disconnected last night. We talked to everybody, Adam Gold, who’s on the Carolina Radio Network, and we’re gonna have him on our show the Hot Stove. And I’m just texting him about that.

He says that the Carolina Hurricanes have played nine games against nine teams. He said Boston was the worst team they played, and 8-2 wasn’t indicative of the score last night. It was worse. So if it’s going in that direction, the expectations in Boston, they’re always going to be contender Gallo. If the next three games, it’s like this, and let’s say the 4-9-1, he’s fired. He’s gone. He’s gone. I think it’s simple as that.

I think it’s a very, very short leash. Yeah, sure. Certainly, the Swayman stuff off-ice was the distraction. But when you watch the team play, they look slow, they look disinterested. They don’t look like they want to play defense. This is a team that’s always committed to being smart and playing defense and playing the right way.

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They’re playing the wrong way, and it’s a big red flag. So, yeah, Monty’s in trouble, and he doesn’t turn around soon. I don’t think Sweeney have any problem him showing them the door.

Host: That’s that that’s wild to me. Just considering, you look at two years ago, they won 65 games, and he won the coach of the year, and last year, they were still second in their division and won a playoff round. And now, year three in his tenure, it’s like, I always wonder about this, right? When teams have a reaction like this like, do you think since last year, Jim Montgomery forgot how to coach?”

Bernstein: “No, no. But if the players aren’t executing, you can’t fire all 23 guys, but, but the way they’re playing Gallo, like that’s not acceptable. Like that might be acceptable for maybe a rebuilding team or a last-place team. That’s not acceptable for the Boston Bruins.

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So the fact that that there’s a disconnect there, and you see, I don’t see the try out there, and when I don’t see the try out there, watching that game last night, I’m going, okay, that there’s a disconnect between the coach.

And I’ve heard before that the coach isn’t the most well-liked by the room, but that’s true for any coach at any point in time. But with the way they’re playing Gallo, that’s one thing to lose games the way they’re losing games, and they are already a minus 13 goal differential. That’s not the Boston Bruins.

So again, because there’s no extension in place, and because, you know, there’s some uncertainty around this team, I don’t think they’re going to hesitate to try to turn it around if they continue like this, right?”