Marco Sturm's to-do list as new Bruins coach: Zone defense? Assistants? Captain?

New York Times

4 days ago

Four months remain until Marco Sturm pursues his first two points as Boston Bruins head coach. In Boston, his former home as a player and new one as a coach, the climate is starting to turn toward summer.
But however distant the 2025-26 season opener seems to be, Sturm will have his calendar full between now and then.
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His priorities:
Sturm would be wise to keep Bob Essensa around. The goaltending coach has been in the position since 2003. His track record is filled with grand slams. Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask and Linus Ullmark won Vezina Trophies while receiving Essensa's counsel. Jeremy Swayman scored an eight-year, $66 million contract because of his growth under Essensa. The personable Essensa is one of the organization's prized assets.
Former interim coach Joe Sacco is leaving the organization for the New York Rangers, per league sources. He had been on staff since 2014, filling multiple roles, from overseeing the defense to the forwards to the penalty kill. He was been loyal at every turn.
Assistant coach Jay Leach, a finalist for the position, could remain on the staff. The Bruins believe in the 45-year-old.
The future of assistant coach Chris Kelly remains to be seen. Kelly was in charge of the power play in 2024-25.
Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak are the alternate captains. Perhaps Hampus Lindholm will be in the mix, too, as part of the leadership group. They will be among the first wave of players to hear Sturm's pitch. It will be the leaders' job to absorb it, accept it and set the standard for their teammates to follow.
Perhaps Sturm believes one of these players should replace Brad Marchand as captain. If so, that input will be considered by management as they make a decision.
The Bruins have played zone defense for Sturm's four predecessors: Sacco, Jim Montgomery, Bruce Cassidy and Claude Julien. It has served them well. All the coaches believed zone incorporated the most fail-safes in case of breakdowns. The emphasis was the same: protect the front of the net.
With McAvoy, Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Andrew Peeke and Mason Lohrei on track to return, sticking with zone would allow the defensemen to maintain familiarity with the system. Zadorov, in particular, is most effective when holding his ground near the net and applying his reach and physicality. He is less of a defensive threat if he chases an opponent high in the defensive zone.
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However, the Bruins allowed 3.30 goals per game last year while playing zone. Sturm may believe it is time to switch to man-to-man defense.
Swayman took an important first step at the World Championship toward returning to his level. Multiple factors led to Swayman's run: being motivated to play for Team USA, making his bid to be on the 2026 Olympic team, playing with new teammates, getting away from Boston.
But a critical component was Swayman's competition with Joey Daccord for the U.S. net. It was the same kind of partnership Swayman had with Ullmark for three seasons. Giving Korpisalo more of an opportunity to contend for the net should not hold Swayman back.
It's understandable why Montgomery and Sacco gave Swayman starts that Korpisalo, in retrospect, probably deserved. They were desperate for results. They believed Swayman, if he got hot, gave them the best chance for wins.
But nudging the workload closer to a 50-50 split, with Swayman still in the lead, could improve the position. It's Sturm's job to sell this to his goalies.
General manager Don Sweeney can bring in all the offseason help he wants. But all of that means nothing if Swayman and Korpisalo don't stop more pucks.
Sturm, like every coach, would welcome Mitch Marner onto his bench. How would he use the right wing? Would Marner be worth the investment of making him, perhaps, the NHL's highest-paid player? Or would Sturm prefer multiple players for better depth instead of a top-shelf barnburner?
Morgan Geekie had a breakthrough season. It might not have been an outlier. If he continues playing with Pastrnak, Geekie could hit the 30-goal threshold again.
Meanwhile, Geekie will reach restricted status on July 1. He is due for a big-time raise. Player and team will have different concepts when it comes to his compensation. But they should be in agreement about how critical the 26-year-old will be in the rebuild. It is always helpful for an employee to feel valued, especially when it comes time to talk contract.
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Sacco seemingly hit upon a solution on the first unit: shifting Pastrnak away from his traditional left-elbow office to his strong side. This allowed Pastrnak to pull goalies his way and thread seam passes for Geekie to one-time from his old spot. Does this maximize both forwards' strengths? Or is taking away Pastrnak's one-timer leaving goals on the table?
Sacco also liked Elias Lindholm in the bumper and Lohrei up top. Lindholm looks to be the best option in his position. But is McAvoy a better fit to run PP1 from the point? And which left-shot forward is the best option to be the right-side goal-line release for Pastrnak? Casey Mittelstadt or Pavel Zacha?
The Bruins liked how Matt Poitras and Fraser Minten finished the AHL playoffs. The experience should optimize both centers to make strong pushes for varsity employment in training camp. Sturm's priority is to remind Poitras and Minten that they'll be given opportunities, but that neither will be rushed. Both players are too important for the organization's long-term objectives.
(Photo of Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)