Bruins Tight-Lipped, Waiting To Make Matthew Poitras Decision

BOSTON — The Bruins are in no hurry to make a decision on Matthew Poitras.

If we can be a tad more accurate, they’re in no hurry to announce a decision on the 19-year-old — who has been one of the best players in Black and Gold this season.

Poitras has been everything the Bruins could have asked for through his first eight games in the NHL, passing each challenge presented to him with flying colors. The only problem? He hasn’t exactly secured a spot on the team yet. Boston can send him back to the OHL after nine games, which would preserve the first year of his entry-level contract.

“We haven’t made a decision. We’re going to wait until the ninth game,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters Saturday. “He’s playing great. It’s not my decision, so we have to confer on it. I haven’t seen a stamp yet.”

If it were up to most people, Poitras would be afforded the opportunity to unpack his bags and settle into Boston. That’s just not the way it works, though. The rookie can continue to impress, which he did in Saturday’s victory over the Detroit Red Wings, but the B’s are going to wait until the eleventh hour because anything can happen.

There was an example against Detroit, as he was noticeably favoring something while stuck in his own zone. The 170-pound kid responded, though — as he always does.

“I really like the way he responds every time he gets tested,” Montgomery said. “There was a shift where his line was out there for a long time in their own end and I thought, ‘Oh, boy,’ because he was bent over and his legs were straight-legged. And then somehow he found the juice to actually create the turnover and get the puck out of the zone.

“… We see the skill, we see the smarts, but I think his will is very underrated. We’ve got a hockey player on our hands.”

The Bruins will make announce their decision at some point following Monday’s matchup with the Florida Panthers. It seems like a safe bet the rookie will be staying around, though.