Recchi Will Get Some Calls For Powerplay Help; Will Bruins Be One?

Could Mark Recchi, one of the key players that helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup in the 2010-11 season return to coach at least one of his former teammates in current Bruins winger Brad Marchand?

Could adding the three-time Stanley Cup champion, hall of famer and mentor to Patrice Begeron, entice Bergeron himself to return for another season rather than retire?

After spending three seasons running the powerplay for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the last two seasons doing the same  for the New Jersey Devils, Recchi is a coaching free agent again. Just as the case was when teams looking for powerplay help on the NHL trade market would give the teams Recchi was playing for a call, they’re giving one of the best powerplay men (200g, 369a), in NHL history calls now to help cure their issues on the man advantage.

There was no confirmation from multiple NHL sources contacted that the Boston Bruins were one of those teams. However, BHN was told that the Montreal Canadiens, another one of Recchi’s former teams – that is also coached by his former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate, Martin St. Louis – are likely going to be a team that does. The Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks could also be landing spots for Recchi according to the same source.

One has to wonder if they were though, with Boston Bruins team president Cam Neely recently calling out Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy and his staff for not adjusting and finding the right tweaks on a powerplay that went 0-for-46 over a stretch in April.

“I think there’s times when players need to be more reactive out there instead of thinking about, this is how we have to play,” Neely said of the powerplay that then went 6-for-29 in the seven-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

“Sometimes on the power play, I found it frustrating where we would continue to try to gain the zone the same way with the same results that weren’t as good as they could have been. And again, turning pucks over at the blue line because you’re trying to beat guys one-on-one or one-on-two. It’s tough to do in this league. I think a little different philosophy of when to dump pucks in and chase and go after it and try to grind it out down below the dots and get inside the dots and try to create chances that way.”

Neely also left Cassidy’s and his staff’s future up in the air and in the hands of general manager Don Sweeney.

“I think we have to look at making some changes as far as how we play,” Neely said when asked about the status of Cassidy for the 2022-23 season. “I think Bruce is a fantastic coach. He’s brought a lot of success to this organization. I like him as a coach. So we’ll see where it goes, but I do think we need to make some changes.”

Whether or not Cassidy stays, if Neely and Sweeney want a new approach on the powerplay, it couldn’t hurt to at least ring up Mark Recchi. One thing is for sure though, the NHL Betting odds that Cassidy and his staff will be let go sooner rather than later, have increased dramatically.