Boston Bruins

Bruins Demote Matthew Poitras Back To Providence; Sacco Explains Why

Published

2 weeks ago

March 10, 2025

Andrew Fantucchio

AP Photo/Spenser Heaps

BRIGHTON, Mass. — A lot has changed inside the Boston Bruins locker room over the last few days.

While franchise stalwarts Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, and Charlie Coyle were all shipped out the door at the NHL trade deadline, it flew under the radar that the Bruins also demoted Matthew Poitras to AHL Providence.

With 17 games left on their schedule, there’s still a chance that Poitras will play for the Bruins again this season, but that won’t come until he fixes some areas of his game down in Providence.

“With Matty, basically, the message is–he just had surgery last January–so he really didn’t get to play from January on with us,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco said. “When you look at the way the games are played, there’s just not a lot of room out there. The ice gets tighter, and space becomes less available. It’s just something that he’ll continue to work on in his game, trying to find and create some space for himself out there.”

Poitras, who celebrates his 21st birthday today, began the season with the Bruins but was sent down in early November after struggling to produce. Over 23 games with Providence, Poitras scored 20 points with eight goals. He had a streak of seven straight games where he found the back of the net at one point and eventually earned a call-up in mid-January.

READ MORE: Matthew Poitras Hitting Reset Button With Providence Bruins

But as soon as Poitras arrived in Boston once again, his production once again tailed off. Before being sent down on Monday, he was in the midst of a nine-game stretch during which he failed to record a single point. Poitras had just seven points without a single goal over the course of 19 games back with the Bruins, registering just one shot on goal per game.

“He could probably look to put the puck on net a little more at times,” Sacco said on Feb. 27 when asked about Poitras’ struggles. “He’s a pass-first guy by nature, it seems. Like any player, if you’re not scoring goals, you got to find a way to get to the inside of the ice. It’s hard to score from the outside unless you have a big-time shot. Obviously, he’s not the biggest guy, but he can still find his way to the inside and get some more opportunities and some better looks from there.”

For now, Poitras will have to find those opportunities in Providence.