The Boston Bruins had a rough time during the 2024-25 season, wrapping up last in the Atlantic Division with a record of 33-39-10. This marked their lowest points total and their first time missing the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. They started off the season with an 8-9-3 record, which led to the firing of head coach Jim Montgomery on November 19, 2024, and the team brought in interim coach Joe Sacco to take over. Even though Montgomery’s team had an amazing run before, with a record-breaking 65 wins in the NHL before, they struggled, and things just didn’t improve for Boston after that.
Efforts to change things up with Sacco didn’t really pan out, especially with player performances and injuries, like those to Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy, making things worse. By the end of the season, management decided to shake things up a bit. They brought in Marco Sturm as the new head coach and aimed for a complete cultural overhaul to bring back the team’s identity, consistency, leadership, and competitive spirit.
“We’re proud to name Marco as the 30th Head Coach of the Boston Bruins and welcome him, Astrid, Mason, and Kaydie to Boston,” said GM Don Sweeney in a Bruins press release. “Throughout this process, our goal was to identify a coach who could uphold our strong defensive foundation while helping us evolve offensively. We were also looking for a communicator and leader – someone who connects with players, develops young talent, and earns the respect of the room. Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion.”
The former Bruins winger is back in Boston, but now he’s taking on the role of coach. He’s definitely got a big responsibility ahead of him. He needs to get the Bruins back to where they should be—making the playoffs and playing at their best. It seems like changes are already kicking off during the offseason. On X, the official account of the Boston Bruins shared an update, stating, “The #NHLBruins have acquired defenseman Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Ryan Mast and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick.”
So, at just 24 years old, Soderstrom was picked 11th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. He’s played in 53 NHL games so far, racking up 11 points, but he recently went back to Sweden, where he really shone with Brynas IF in the SHL. He scored 37 points in 49 games and snagged the impressive Borje Salming Trophy for being the top defenseman in the SHL. The Bruins traded defenseman Ryan Mast, a 22-year-old prospect they picked in the sixth round of 2021, along with their seventh-round draft pick for 2025, to Chicago. Mast had 5 assists in 37 games last season with the Providence Bruins, mostly playing in the AHL.
The #NHLBruins have acquired defenseman Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Ryan Mast and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick.
: https://t.co/jVIcb1WX2t pic.twitter.com/y9i7oV5Aex
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 13, 2025
The Bruins really needed a right-shot defenseman, especially after trading Brandon Carlo and seeing some others leave. So, they decided to pick up a former first-round talent who’s been doing well in Europe again. With this trade, it looks like Boston is taking a thoughtful chance that Soderstrom’s success in the SHL will translate to the NHL. Certain doubts over Sturm’s future arose, nevertheless, when he joined the Bruins.
Boston Bruins’ latest stints got them worried about the new coach
Marco Sturm has joined the Boston Bruins as a coach. During a recent interview, host Michael Felger raised an interesting question, asking him, “But was job security a concern? I mean, Bruce Cassidy won at a high level, they let him go. [Jim] Montgomery won at a high level, they let him go. I mean, you ever think like well, I can win at a high level, they’re gonna let me go?” Naturally, anyone in the Bruins is wondering about their job security in light of the major changes being implemented by general manager Don Sweeney.
However, Marco Sturm just replied calmly, saying, “Yeah. No, you can’t, you know what you can’t think that way, and again, that’s something I learned over the course, even when I was a player. Yeah, and again, the past is the past. I’m a different person than the other guys, I’m a different coach. You know, it’s a different time right now. So again, all what I do is looking forward.” The new head coach mentioned that he’s not the player he once was, and he’s certainly not the coach he used to be either.
With him at the helm, the Bruins are stepping into a fresh chapter, and he’s all about looking ahead instead of getting caught up in what’s already happened. So, the new head coach really does have some solid experience and international success under his belt, doesn’t he? Indeed, Sturm played for the Bruins from 2005 to 2010. He also played a key role in helping the German national team grab a silver medal in 2018 and led the Ontario Reign in the AHL to consistent playoff contention. We’ll just have to wait and see how he performs in the 2025-26 season with the Bruins.
The post Boston Bruins Bolsters Blue Line in Trade With Chicago Blackhawks appeared first on EssentiallySports.