Elliotte Friedman speculates 'deeper philosophical disagreements' between Bruins GM and Jim Montgomery

By Zachary Roberts

Modified Nov 22, 2024 18:13 GMT

The Boston Bruins shocked the world by firing Jim Montgomery one year after a 109-point campaign and two years after a 65-win season. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes that performance, though it was lacking early on in 2024, may not have been the sole reason behind the firing.

Friedman thinks that it's not as simple as "they made him an offer and they couldn't come to a deal and it's over." On Friday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, he said:

"The team's not winning, we're going another, different direction. I think it was deeper than that. I think it was more than just they couldn't reach financial terms. I think there was some talk over, you know, direction of the team." (5:00)

Friedman said he wasn't sure they saw the future of the Bruins the same way. He also acknowledged that the selection of some assistants proved to be a stumbling block for them:

"That was a bit of a bone of contention between the two of them too.....I think there was just some deeper philosophical disagreements there. And I think at the end, they kind of realized that maybe they just weren't compatible with each other."

The potential lack of agreement from the two sides combined with the relatively poor start for the Bruins, who have a 9-9-3 record on the year, spelled doom for Montgomery.

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Bruins take the blame for Jim Montgomery firing

Ownership wasn't sure if they wanted to fire Jim Montgomery and allow Boston Bruins players to escape accountability for their poor start. They did fire him, but the players took the blame for the rough go.

Jim Montgomery was fired (Credits: Imagn)

"If we had done our job in here, he would still be around, so [we] feel terrible as a group, individually that we let a really good coach and a really good person down," Brad Marchand, the captain, said via NHL.

GM Don Sweeney said:

"The obvious reaction from me is disappointment in the decision I had to make yesterday. It came from a decision of our team just not performing to the level of expectations that we have grown to appreciate as a fan of the sporting community here."

Marchand said it's as simple as the players not doing their jobs. If they had, he believes Montgomery would still be their coach right now.