Marco Sturm is giving the Boston Bruins’ younger players a chance to prove themselves, and Matt Poitras is taking full advantage of it.
Poitras signed a one-year, two-way deal on the day training camp opened, and one day later told reporters that he needs to “prove to everybody that I can be in the lineup every night.” It was not all smooth sailing, though. He suffered a lower-body injury during training camp and missed the first three regular-season games before playing in the last six.
Ahead of his first game, Sturm said he was looking to “see [Poitras’] strengths, and I think just being smart, and skate.” Six games later, Sturm is happy with what he’s seen out of the 22-year-old center.
“Yeah, he’s been solid, and that’s all I’m asking for,” Sturm said of Poitras after Saturday’s game in Los Angeles. “I’m not asking for big points and goals, whatever. No, I want him to just do [his] job, and the rest will come automatically.”
In his first five games of the season, Poitras centered the fourth line. He skated alongside Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, but with Pavel Zacha sidelined by an upper-body injury, Poitras moved into a top-six role.
He started alongside JJ Peterka and Marat Khusnutdinov, but Sturm swapped Peterka for Morgan Geekie in the third period.
“Yeah, I felt like we had some good shifts early,” Poitras said. “Obviously, the penalties kind of mess with the flow of the game and who you’re going out there with, but thought we had some good shifts early.”
Sturm cited wanting “a little bit more out of some of the guys and lines,” and the changes paid off. Geekie and Poitras each assisted on the game-winning goal on Saturday, with Poitras recording the primary helper. Despite logging a team-low 10:29 of ice time, Poitras now has five points (3-2–5) in six games and extended his point streak to three games.
Poitras has been doing what Sturm has asked of him, and he’s finding his way to the scoresheet along the way. Sturm has made it clear that he’s willing to give the Bruins’ younger players opportunities, but it will always be up to them to make the most of those chances.
“I mean, they should [have confidence],” Sturm said to reporters in Anaheim on Friday. “I give them the opportunities, right? As long as they take advantage, I’m happy too.”
On the Other Hand…
But when one player gets an opportunity, another must come out of the lineup.
In this case, it was Sean Kuraly. The oldest Bruins forward watched from the press box as a healthy scratch while the 22-year-old got a chance to prove himself.
Marco Sturm made it clear that Kuraly was not happy with the decision, and understandably so; it was uncharted territory for the Ohio native. After Saturday’s game in Los Angeles, Kuraly said it was the first time that had happened to him in his NHL career.
“I think you gain some perspective from being out, and obviously, it’s kind of the first time in my career I’ve seen something like that,” Kuraly said. “Always trying to learn and get better, and yeah, that’s what I spent the last week or so doing: just trying to get better and prepare for this moment. You know it’s going to come, and it was nice to be back out there with the guys.”
There wasn’t much room for Kuraly to get back in, either. The Bruins were winning without him in the lineup, stringing together a 4-1-0 record in the five games he watched from the press box, and Poitras was producing.
The fact that Poitras’ opportunity came at Kuraly’s expense did not change much for Kuraly. He was not focusing on who took his spot or whether he agreed with Sturm’s call.
“It’s almost just irrelevant,” Kuraly said. “Whatever it is, just take it. Reality is reality. Keep getting better and keep putting one foot in front of the other, and regardless of getting into the weeds of even in my own head of if I agree or whatever, you know, [the] team’s playing well, try and be a good piece, good teammate, and just be ready when my name’s called back.”
Kuraly returned to the Bruins’ lineup on Saturday night in Los Angeles because of Pavel Zacha’s injury. He assumed his spot at 4C, joining his linemates from the 2025-26 season. Kuraly logged 14:19 in his first game back since October 3, with 1:52 of shorthanded TOI. He has yet to hit the scoresheet in four games this season.
“I got to say he was a real pro [in] the last week or so,” Sturm said of Kuraly. “He worked extremely hard in practice. He was positive, and I’m very, very happy that he had a great game.”
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