Before the Boston Bruins embarked on their 2024-25 regular season campaign, there were many questions surrounding the team’s direction in October. Could they put together a long playoff run? What are the long-term statuses of some of their core players? Is their then-head coach officially on the hot seat? Some of these inquiries would be answered much sooner than most expected.

Following a lackluster 8-9-3 start to the season, Boston fired its head coach, Jim Montgomery, on November 19 after two-plus seasons. He was replaced by assistant coach Joe Sacco on an interim basis. Although the Bruins had great success under Montgomery, the team’s inconsistency and level of urgency to start the season couldn’t be ignored. Montgomery ultimately needed a change of scenery, too, and he was hired by the St. Louis Blues just five days after he was relieved of his duties.

A common theme for the Bruins in recent seasons has been their disappointing and increasingly underwhelming early playoff exits. After falling to the Florida Panthers in the postseason for a second consecutive year, there was a lot of rightful frustration amongst the fan base. Since their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2019, Boston has yet to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. For an organization with high expectations year in and year out, it’s simply unacceptable to have the type of playoff success that they’ve had. Many called for the ownership group to shake up the mix of the roster—and even members of the front office—due to the repeated actions of the team every season.

There was also a lot of chatter about the status of the aforementioned former head coach, Jim Montgomery, going into the summer. With his job being very much in jeopardy to start the fall, his positioning within the organization was surely going to fall on the performance of the team in the first month of the season. Effectively, it was Montgomery’s time, yet it’s still undetermined whether the interim head coach, Sacco, will continue in a permanent role beyond this season.

Likely the most staggering part of the Bruins’ season was the trade deadline. The casual hockey fan will absolutely focus on who the team parted ways with versus who they acquired. The pieces that Boston dealt prior to the March 7 deadline included Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Brandon Carlo, Justin Brazeau, and Marc McLaughlin.

Most shockingly, however, was the trade that sent long-time Bruin, and team captain, Brad Marchand, to the Florida Panthers, in exchange for a 2027 conditional second-round draft pick (NBC Sports Boston). After playing 16 seasons for Boston, Marchand was truly the definition of a player that you love to have on your hockey team, yet simultaneously one that you detest playing against. The trade was unexpected, and it marked the beginning of a new era of Bruins hockey. All players from the long-standing core, including Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask were all officially no longer on the roster, all having left by way of trade or retirement.

As stable and well-liked as that iteration of the Bruins was, there’s one singular question that remains: Why didn’t those teams have more success? It’s a question that may never be fully answered in its entirety.

So, what truly is next for the Boston Bruins? There are a lot of unknowns, including whether the team will sneak into the playoffs for a ninth straight season. Boston currently sits at 30-30-9, and are just four points out of the second wild card position. Entering Thursday’s matchup versus Las Vegas, the Bruins are very much still afloat, but consistency will be key with just thirteen games remaining.

All in all, the Boston Bruins have a lot of work to do in the coming years, and only time will tell as to whether they can get back to what they are often expected to be: A perennial playoff contender that accomplishes success deep into the spring.