How Marco Sturm Can Improve Bruins In First Season As Head Coach

The Boston Bruins searched far and wide for their next head coach.

General manager Don Sweeney interviewed as many as 15 prospective candidates over the course of a two-month hiring process that culminated on Thursday with Marco Sturm becoming the 30th head coach in Bruins history.

The former Bruins forward won over Sweeney during interviews with his affinity for a strong defensive structure and ability to communicate with players at all stages of their development, while also boasting a well-rounded resumé that features stops at multiple levels of hockey.

“Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion,” Sweeney said via a statement. “His path – playing for multiple NHL teams, coaching internationally, and leading at both the AHL and NHL levels – has shaped a well-rounded coach who’s earned this opportunity.”

Sweeney views Sturm as the right coach to not only turn the Bruins around and lead them through a quote-unquote, “retooling” phase, but eventually back to championship contention.

However long that takes remains to be seen. Sturm will, and should, have a longer leash than his predecessors, especially considering that this is his first head coaching job in the NHL.

In the meantime, there’s a few key points Sturm can focus on in the short term to help the Bruins improve during his first year as the head coach.

Re-Establish Defensive Identity:

For nearly their entire 100-year history, the Bruins’ success has been rooted in their defense. So it makes all the sense in the world that when everything fell apart for Boston in its own zone last year, so did everywhere else too.

Sturm was a defensive-minded forward during his playing days, and has made that part of his philosophy as a coach.

It will also help that the Bruins are expecting to have both Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm back from injury next year. Their prolonged absences last season left gaping holes in the lineup and over exposed others on the blue line, such as Mason Lohrei.

Even then, it shouldn’t matter which six defenseman the Bruins have lined up on the back end on any given night. They have to stay true to their identity. Helping them re-establish it will be the fastest way Sturm can elevate the Bruins back to respectability.

Find The Right Balance In Net:

Playing good defense means nothing if you can’t stop the puck, and that was the unfortunate case for the Bruins last season.

Even when they did have solid structure and clogged the middle of the ice, they couldn’t rely on Jeremy Swayman or Joonas Korpisalo to make timely saves.

Armed with a brand new eight-year contract extension, last season was Swayman’s first as Boston’s unequivocal starter. The added work load didn’t so much wear Swayman down over the course of the season physically, but it did perhaps lead to him playing with a sense of apathy, knowing that no matter how he performed, he was going to get the majority of the starts.

An added consequence of that was Korpisalo growing frustrated with his lack of playing time, as he appeared in only 27 games.

Swayman and Korpisalo have a positive relationship with each other, but it’s clear that dynamic didn’t work for either of them. For Sturm, that means finding the right balance, one that’s similar to what Swayman once had with Linus Ullmark, that allows both goalies to thrive.

Read More: 3 Important Facts About New Bruins Coach Marco Sturm

Fix The Power Play:

The Bruins were absolutely abysmal on the power play last season, ranking 29th in the league by converting on just 15.2 percent of their chances.

They looked disorganized and could barely manage to get set up in the attacking end. It was hard to watch.

Whether it’s by changing the way they operate himself, or hiring someone on his staff who will, Sturm needs to get the Bruins playing with some level of competency on the man-advantage.

Help Bruins Prospects Become NHL Regulars:

If there’s one reason why the Bruins hired Sturm it’s his ability to communicate with players, particularly younger ones, and help develop them.

During his time as the AHL coach of the Ontario Reign, Sturm helped players like Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke grow into core players for the Los Angeles Kings. Now, the Bruins are asking him to do the same with their prospects.

Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and Fraser Minten, all got tastes of the NHL last season. Their development of those prospects, and the more that are soon to come, will be central to Boston’s success, both this season and the long-term future. Giving them regular minutes without fear of making mistakes is the only way they’re going to reach their potentials.

Empower The Leaders:

If Sturm’s message is ever going to translate to the younger players on the roster, he will need the Bruins’ leaders to buy-in first.

The Bruins are entering a new era, with David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, Hampus Lindholm, Elias Lindholm, and Nikita Zadorov making up the veteran voices in the room.

Each and every one of those players was eager at the end of the year to have the opportunity to reshape the Bruins’ culture as they see fit. Nevertheless, they’ll need guidance.

Sturm must work with them to form that culture, but also empower them to uphold it on their own by entrusting them to be the leaders they say they want to be.

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