By Conor Ryan For the first time in his young pro career, Matt Poitras is heading down to the AHL ranks. The Bruins announced on Monday afternoon that Poitras has been assigned to Providence, just a few hours after skating as the team’s spare forward during practice at Warrior Ice Arena. More moves are to be expected for the Bruins, who currently have no extra skaters on their roster following Poitras’ demotion and an injury to defenseman Andrew Peeke.
Poitras, who earned another spot on the NHL roster this fall with a strong preseason performance, has scored one goal and added three assists over 14 games this season with Boston. The second-year pro has fallen into a rut as of late. He scored just one goal with zero assists over his previous seven games while averaging 12:35 of ice time per contest.
The encouraging returns after shifting Pavel Zacha back over to center this past week might have warranted a demotion for Poitras, who has not replicated his poised playmaking approach when slotted over at right wing. There’s compelling cases to be made for both Poitras sticking with the Bruins amid their significant scoring slump and the long-term benefits that come with a stint in Providence. As far as Poitras’ own development, it should come as no surprise that the young pivot has gone through some growing pains this season.
Even with his evident passing capabilities and shifty play, he still has work to do when it comes to filling out his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, as.