Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney delivers a message to players as training camp approaches.
The Boston Bruins will kick off training camp for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena. Third-year head coach Jim Montgomery will once again see changes to his roster, including some key additions and departures.
As the offseason wraps up, GM Don Sweeney has brought in top-line center Elias Lindholm and physical defenseman Nikita Zadarov, along with adding toughness to the bottom six. With camp starting, Sweeney has communicated his vision for how Montgomery should run it.
Sweeney emphasized that last season’s playoff matchup revealed a speed gap between the Bruins and the Florida Panthers, along with a lack of physicality. He has addressed the latter in free agency, while Montgomery is expected to focus on increasing speed in the coming weeks.
“Montgomery wants training camp to have a certain pace,” Sweeney stated. “If the bigger players can’t keep up, they won’t make the lineup.”
Reflecting on last spring, if the Toronto Maple Leafs had been faster, they might have been able to eliminate the Bruins instead of losing in Game 7 to a David Pastrnak overtime goal, after failing to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
For the upcoming season, adding both speed and physicality will be crucial for the Bruins. Observing the final four teams in the Conference Finals, it’s clear that speed was a significant factor. To compete with larger, faster teams in the NHL, it seems that Sweeney and Montgomery are determined to make this a priority in training camp.
