- Sep 22, 2011
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Player Discussion Matthew Poitras II
- Thread starter Gee Wally
- Start date
trenton1
Bergeron for Hart
Well, you know, the only bump in the road in Bergeron's rookie year was a shoulder injury. He got it trying to check a much bigger player. So there's that. 
The sweetspot for a bruins fan like me was 2008 to 2016 or so. Higher skilled game, but plenty of physicality, real rivalries, still some hatred, but very little of the stupid staged fights etc. A much more passionate game that was much more exciting than the European-style hockey NHL has become.
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
- Sep 22, 2011
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"Guess this is a good example of why the league doesn't want 19 year-olds playing against pros"
The bolded is not an opinion, it is a definitive statement. One for which you have no objective proof. Also, it's quite absurd that a league which is made up of team owners wouldn't want to ice players under entry level contracts as much as possible in a salary cap world.
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
Sorry for my bad wording, making a definitive statment in place of an opinion.
Though it is still my opinion. And I'm not trying to prove anything.
BruinsFanMike82
Registered User
Bruinfanatic
Registered User
Good to hear he needs it although would think shoulder would impede working out ,although he can work on lower body strength,he gets mandhandled every game and even in the Juniors.
Probably beneficial for a smaller guy like him to work on lower body strength anyway, helps them use their center of gravity more effectively when giving/receiving hits
Bruinfanatic
Registered User
Yeah Like Marchand ,he was next to impossible to knock off the puck,well not as much since the hip surgery.
He should (probably already has) speak to Brad.
I said this in another thread . Matty P. is easy to like. He seems like a great kid.
Agreed, in all his interviews seems like a real good kid. And he's also a smart one. He actually answers questions thoughtfully and doesn't just give canned "hockey player responses."
TCB
Registered User
IN the only pre-season practice I went to (at Warriors Arena), Brad would pull Matty aside and coach him. It was fun to see.
I beleive Poitras was spotted skating, correct? I wonder if he could potentially get back in the lineup if this next series goes long.
McGarnagle
Yes.
- Aug 5, 2017
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That's a real rough ask to put a rookie who hadn't played since like December into round two against Florida, but if you're not getting anything from Zacha at center, why not?
He had a shoulder injury. He is skating for training purposes . No way the Shoulder is ready to take hits. Next year
goldenblack
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- Apr 15, 2024
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It would be a grave mistake to consider playing Poitras. let him heal get stronger and be ready for next season. A team as short on prospects and draft picks can not afford to screw with one of the few they have.
Great to hear. He looked a little scrawny last season and I thought 10-12 lbs would've been ideal to provide an added edge overall, and better complement his smarts.
Sheppy
Registered User
Yep. That's an encouraging sign.
He will only keep adding muscle too. Kid is young.
Very encouraging. He definitely needs to add muscle and weight. Excited about this new season and what he can bring
Matt Poitras is back at Bruins development camp. This time, as a player with NHL experience. - The Boston Globe
This past season, Poitras scored 13 points in his first 27 games while averaging 14:06 of ice time.
www.bostonglobe.com
Matt Poitras turned 20 less than four months ago. But the playmaking center entered the dressing room at Warrior Ice Arena on Monday as the Bruins’ elder statesman— at least as far as NHL reps were concerned.
Even though he’s still one of the youngest players at development camp, Poitras has a leg up on his teammates in that he’s already established himself as a contributor at hockey’s highest level.
But after spending most of the spring on the mend following season-ending surgery in February, the Bruins’ top prospect isn’t planning on going through the motions during the four-day camp.
“I’m just trying to come in and still do my thing,” he said. “I’m a bit older. It’s my third camp now. So try and lead and just make sure our standard is being held up. Just try and be there for everybody.”
Despite going under the knife to correct an ailing shoulder, Poitras was a full participant in Monday’s skate — showing no restrictions.
”I feel good, no pain or anything . . . Obviously, you don’t want to rush things,” Poitras said. “It’s still the start of July and we’ve got two more months until camp starts, so no need to rush anything.”
Poitras’s playmaking poise and vision allowed him to shatter his developmental timeline last October — dodging an assignment back to junior hockey after showcasing his talents in the Bruins’ first nine regular-season games.
For an extended stretch of October and November, Poitras was primed to make a legitimate run at a top-six spot — scoring 13 points in his first 27 games while averaging 14:06 of ice time.
But be it the taxing schedule, increased competition, or the physicality of the NHL, the rookie hit a wall. After slamming his shoulder into the ice following a collision with Coyotes defenseman Sean Durzi on Dec. 9, Poitras played only eight more games — recording three points and averaging 11:18 of ice time — before getting shut down.
“I needed to put on a bit of size,” Poitras said. “I came into camp last year definitely undersized. There were some bigger guys that maybe I couldn’t hold my own against as much.
“So I think this year is just going in a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger, kind of choose my spots a bit more — because sometimes I’d take some big hits that aren’t necessary and kind of hurt me, and maybe that’s why I didn’t get a chance to finish the season.”
Even with surgery hindering some of his offseason work, Poitras has added 8-9 pounds.
While he doesn’t profile as a bruising presence, that added weight might be the difference between a patented reverse hit and a bone-crunching slam into the end boards.
“I feel a bit stronger . . . I want to be able to win those one-on-one battles because I’m a guy who likes to have the puck up in the zone,” Poitras said. “So that’s kind of where it stems from.”
Poitras has more goals for himself before training camp opens in September. Beyond adding even more muscle, improving at the faceoff dot (43.7 percent last season) is a priority. The 2022 second-round pick might still be the Bruins’ most promising forward prospect, but a featured role is far from a guarantee.
“I’ve been in the offseason for basically almost five months now,” Poitras said. “I’m excited to get through the summer — still going to take it day by day — but I’m excited to get to camp and get into playing games.”
