Bruins expected to move on from Jay Leach

Bruins moving – The Boston Bruins are reportedly ending assistant coach Jay Leach’s tenure after deciding not to renew his contract, with Leach’s deal set to expire this offseason. Leach had run Boston’s defense and penalty kill, roles that have come under scrutiny across the

When the offseason arrived, one name didn’t get a new contract from the Boston Bruins.

Jay Leach’s deal is up, and the Bruins are reportedly moving on from their assistant coach. The decision is tied to a simple bottom line: Boston chose not to renew Leach’s contract this offseason. It marks Leach’s second tenure with the organization.

Leach, 46, rejoined Boston in June 2024 as an assistant coach for Jim Montgomery. He remained on Marco Sturm’s staff during the 2025-26 campaign, after Sturm took over the Bruins’ bench in June 2025. In his most recent stint with Boston. Leach primarily ran the team’s defense and handled a greater share of penalty-kill responsibilities. particularly in 2025-26.

But those responsibilities landed in the middle of a broader problem on the ice—one that showed up in the numbers over the last two seasons.

During the 2024-25 campaign, the Bruins ranked 26th in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 3.30. Some of those struggles overlapped with roster churn and a regression from Jeremy Swayman. as Boston retooled its defensive unit during a stretch for the Original Six franchise. Still, even after Swayman bounced back in 2025-26, the defense didn’t fully recover beneath the surface.

This past year, Boston allowed goals at 3.01 per game, placing them 14th overall. But most of that improvement traced back to Swayman’s performance. When expected goals against per 60 minutes are examined from last season. Boston was tied for second-to-last in the NHL with the Maple Leafs at 3.57. with only the Islanders faring worse. The Bruins also ranked 30th in high-danger scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes at 13.52—tied with the Vancouver Canucks. a club described in the underlying numbers as one of the league’s worst.

The penalty kill was another area that lagged. Over the last two seasons, the Bruins ranked 24th overall in both 2024-25 (76.3 percent) and 2025-26 (77.0 percent), suggesting a unit that couldn’t consistently separate itself from the bottom tier.

With Boston reportedly moving on from Leach. Sturm now has the chance to bring in a different voice to help run his defensive corps. The Bruins have already shown they’re willing to adjust pieces on staff; after Sturm was named head coach in June 2025. Boston added only one new coach. Steve Spott was hired last summer to try to fix an ailing power-play unit.

Even with a late lull down the stretch, Boston’s man advantage responded under Spott’s watch, ranking ninth in the league with a 23.4 percent success rate.

Leach’s path through the league is built on earlier success. He previously served as head coach of the Providence Bruins for five seasons from 2017-21 before making the leap to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken. In both those stops. he was viewed as a rising coaching talent. including during his time in Seattle when his role included shaping defense.

Now, after two separate runs with Boston and a focus on defense and penalty kill, Leach’s time with the Bruins appears to be ending with his contract.

The question for Boston’s next phase is straightforward: with Leach gone, who will be trusted to change what the numbers have kept showing—especially when it comes to defending high-danger chances and keeping the penalty kill from sliding back into the league’s lower range.

Boston Bruins Jay Leach Marco Sturm Jim Montgomery Jeremy Swayman Providence Bruins Seattle Kraken NHL coaching penalty kill defense