For those who celebrate, hope you enjoyed a very Merry Christmas — and a happy holiday season to everyone else. Wherever you go to celebrate New Years, please, be safe and responsible. The calendar hasn’t flipped to the new year just yet, but there was still plenty of hockey chatter to unpack this week.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have relieved Assistant Coach Marc Savard of his duties.
A segment of the Bruins fan base continues to push for the organization to bring Savard back in a coaching capacity. But with Boston’s power play operating at a high level — the very area where Savard supposedly specializes — there’s little justification for a change behind the bench. A player‑development role would be a more logical fit, provided the responsibilities are clearly defined – I can get behind that. The Bruins have routinely entrusted former defensemen with those positions, but the organization has lacked a dedicated voice with a track record of developing forwards.
Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet adds: The Leafs made a bench change Monday night — removing Marc Savard. According to multiple sources, the coaching/managerial changes stop there.
Because, well, the Leafs have long been known to make the right decisions.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they have promoted Steve Sullivan from their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies to Assistant Coach.
Dave Pagnotta on Oilers Nation Everyday regarding the Leafs: It’s money in, money out, which is why they’re willing to exploring moving Max Domi and Brandon Carlo and Mattias Maccelli. They need to move out money.
Part of me wants to see the reaction if the Leafs moved Carlo — the fallout among Maple Leafs fans would be dramatic, and Bruins fans would no doubt revel in it.
More from Pagnotta on DFO Rundown: Jesperi Kotkaniemi‘s name has been out there for the last little bit. I think this goes back to last season.
The Carolina Hurricanes aren’t exactly pressed for cap space, but there’s little doubt they’d welcome the opportunity to move his $4.82 million cap hit, which still runs for four more seasons, and reallocate those dollars elsewhere.
And even more from Pagnotta on Sportsnet Today: If they [Calgary Flames] continue this pace, they probably hold fort outside of Rasmus Andersson. If they dip back to how they were in the first bit of the season, then I think it’s open for business mentality. I still believe Andersson will be moved at some point, regardless of the direction of the team.
As much as the Bruins could use reinforcements on the back end — particularly on the right side — this doesn’t feel like the bidding war they should be jumping into. They’re simply not in a position to part with the kind of assets this market will demand, and the smarter play may be to hold firm and explore solutions elsewhere or revisit the issue in the offseason.
Frank Seravalli on Canucks Central: If you’re gonna go out and get Kiefer Sherwood, the thought process is you’re gonna try and re-sign him. The teams that are in Sherwood are concerned about what that number is to retain his services.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic added: We know the Stars have already kicked tires. I wonder if the Stars would entice the Canucks with Mavrik Bourque. I’m not sure if Bourque is the answer, but I do think there’s a match here somehow.
Sherwood still shouldn’t be on the Bruins’ radar. Boston already has enough players with a similar profile, and when factoring in both the acquisition cost and the price required to extend him, the fit becomes even less practical. The Bruins are better served preserving their assets and cap space for areas of greater need.
Chris Johnston on Over Drive: I don’t get any feeling the Leafs are yet ready to turn the page on this season as an organization, I think they still want to find solutions.
It may be an unpopular opinion, but folding on the season before the New Year would be a significant misstep with playoff races this tight. The trade deadline could present a different calculus depending on how the situation evolves, but pulling the plug this early would be premature. I mean, even Buffalo turned it around.
THIS AND THAT
The Bruins are nearing reinforcements, with five injured players approaching a return. Defensemen Jordan Harris, Michael Callahan, Jonathan Aspirot and Henri Jokiharju, along with forward Matej Blumel, are all trending toward rejoining the lineup in the near future.
It’s all but certain that Blumel will be reassigned to Providence. Then, with only one available slot on the 23‑man roster, the Bruins will need to make additional moves to remain cap‑ and roster‑compliant.
That leaves three returning defensemen who would need to be reassigned to Providence. The Bruins could also opt to place recently claimed Vladislav Kolyachonok on waivers, which would reduce the number of required moves to two.
The simplest move would be assigning Callahan to Providence, as he does not require waivers. Another path would be placing Jeffrey Viel on waivers and carrying eight defensemen. If Boston opts for that structure and remains concerned about blue‑line depth, waiving Jokiharju becomes a logical consideration. Given his contract — both the salary and two remaining years — it’s unlikely another team would submit a claim.
With the Bruins holding two first‑round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft — both could project as lottery picks, with the Toronto pick top‑five protected — the World Junior Championship offers fans an ideal chance to scout potential targets. The Hockey News breaks down the key prospects to keep an eye on.
Mason Lohrei has become an easy target in Boston, and while some of the criticism is warranted, plenty of it stretches beyond reality. The broader issue isn’t Lohrei in isolation — it’s a defensive group with too many players slotted outside their ideal roles. It’s worth noting that Lohrei’s strongest season came two years ago under John Gruden, when the Bruins had a dedicated voice guiding the blue line. Last year, that presence was absent behind the bench. And this season? The results speak to a unit still searching for structure.
Gruden has built a strong reputation for his work with defensemen, and his approach to deploying the blueline aligns closely with the structure Head Coach Marco Sturm wants to implement. Aside from Steve Spott, Sturm inherited the bulk of his current staff, which makes the upcoming offseason particularly intriguing for me as we wait to see whether any adjustments or additions are made behind the bench. However, I’m not expecting any.
Joonas Korpisalo is struggling and it’s beginning to impact Jeremy Swayman — and not in a positive way. Sturm recently hinted in his comments a diminishing level of confidence in Korpisalo, which has forced Swayman into an unsustainable workload and it has affected his performance. One way or another, the Bruins must address their backup‑goaltending situation, whether before the season ends or heading into next year. There is no more sugar-coating it.
There was plenty of conversation this week around the Team Canada management contingent — a group featuring Doug Armstrong, Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill, Kyle Dubas, and, of course, Don Sweeney. While the expectation is that discussions centered on Team Canada business, it’s fair to wonder whether any of those conversations could lead to broader NHL‑related ripple effects.
When most fans scan the standings, they focus on games played, games in hand, home‑and‑road splits, or points percentage. I look at something far less discussed: divisional games played. The Bruins have easily logged more games within the Atlantic Division than any of their divisional rivals, which means the other seven teams will spend the stretch run beating up on each other and siphoning off points. That dynamic should work in Boston’s favor, especially given their .574 points percentage outside the division — where any loss doesn’t directly boost a divisional opponent. In that sense, they control their own destiny.
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