Bruins Finally Give Definitive Answer On Matthew Poitras’ NHL Status

We’ve all known the answer for a while now, but the Boston Bruins finally made things official Tuesday.

Matthew Poitras is sticking around.

The B’s had a decision to make Tuesday, as Poitras completed his ninth game in the NHL during a win over the Florida Panthers, presenting the final opportunity for Boston to send him back to the OHL and preserve the first year of his entry-level contract.

It appears they’d rather win games than save some money, though, as Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery announced Poitras would move forward with Boston on Tuesday.

The Bruins made sure to let the 19-year-old sweat things out, however. Boston has been tight-lipped regarding his status throughout the first few weeks of the season, and let him take the ice Tuesday before announcing to the media that he was a full-time NHLer.

“Every time where you start to think, ‘Well, this might be too much.’ — Whether it was exhibition season or these nine games, he just always finds a way to be like, ‘He belongs, huh?'” Montgomery said, per Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “He just belongs.”

Poitras has been tremendous early, registering three goals and two assists through nine games. He’s a plus-four on the season, averaging more than 15 minutes of time on ice while pivoting the likes of Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk and James van Riemsdyk.

He’ll move forward as the third-line center with increased minutes on special teams units looking like a real possibility.