On eve of new season, Bruins must first figure out how to deal with last year

BOSTON — As the Bruins get ready for the start of their centennial season Wednesday evening, they’re seeking to navigate a delicate balance.

The memory of last April’s embarrassing exit is, of course, still fresh on their minds. How could such an ignominious end to an otherwise spectacular regular season be forgotten? In that regard, their first-round exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers hangs over them like a ominous cloud, threatening to rain on them everywhere they go.

On one hand, there’s an understanding that however crushing the loss was, it makes little sense to dwell on it six months later. It’s not as if the returning players need to be reminded of what took place, or that ruminating over it is going to change the outcome.

On the other, there’s the suggestion that the Bruins would be well-suited to use the disappointment as motivational fuel. The minute any contentment sets in over the course of the 82-game schedule, the Bruins can summon their bitter memories and perhaps utilize them to steer clear of future derailments.

Behind the bench, Jim Montgomery, whose rookie year in Boston was historic — until the postseason began, that is — isn’t interested in living in the past.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions (with management) and I’ve had a lot of discussions with the players,” said Montgomery Monday during the team’s Media Day. “That’s in the rearview mirror for us. That’s not about what’s going to transpire this year. We’re talking about making the playoffs and how we’re going to go about doing that.”

With the roster finally set, Montgomery will address the team Wednesday, hours before they begin the 2023-24 season at TD Garden against the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s still working on the details of that address, but he knows it will be about the future, and not the ugly past.

“It’s definitely going to be pushing them towards what’s in front of us, the opportunity — some form of message that way,” vowed Montgomery.

In the Bruins’ dressing room, few are eager to rehash the abrupt and premature ending to last season. But if recalling it occasionally can help them avoid future potholes, then maybe it can still be of some value.

“We learned last year. If you don’t win the Stanley Cup, you learn,” said center Charlie Coyle, who finds himself playing further up in the lineup with the retirements of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. “And you have to treat it that way. Only one team gets to win; it’s a tough league. You’ve got to to learn from it, use it and that’s what we’re doing this year.

“You think about that stuff (from April) and how it happened, but it’s a new year, right? We’ve kind of gone through it, we’ve learned and we’ve moved on. We’ve got a new team in here and we’re looking forward to a new opportunity this year..”

That’s not suggest that there aren’t some benefits that come from recounting how the team unraveled in the first round.

“You can use it as motivation,” noted Coyle. “Whenever you don’t win, you use it as fuel and use to your advantage. That’s what I was always taught.”

In replaying the regular season, which saw the Bruins set NHL records for most points (135) and most victories (65), there’s a belief, realized in hindsight, that perhaps the team stumbled because it was unaccustomed to adversity. The Bruins didn’t lose on home ice until Jan. 12 and didn’t suffer consecutive losses until the final week of January.

A three-game skid then and back-to-back losses in March accounted for almost half the team’s regulation losses all season.

The thinking goes like this: the Bruins were too good for their own good. Dominant during the season, once they were faced some adversity in the playoffs, they didn’t know how to deal with it.

“Sometimes when you play so well during the year, you don’t have to overcome obstacles,” Coyle said. “Playing a tighter game, playing closer games and trying to squeeze those out and really bearing down and learning how to fight back after a couple of losses — that stuff is only going to help you come playoff time.”

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It may be fortuitous for the Bruins that, in their own dressing room, they have a player who’s already experienced the aftermath of such a playoff hangover. Veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was a member of the 2019-20 Tampa Bay LIghtning, who months earlier, had enjoyed a similarly record-setting season, only to be bounced from the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.

“I think I learned a lot from that season,” said Shattenkirk. “Obviously, not being a part of that (historic) team the year before, it allowed me not to dwell on it. There were a couple of us (in the same boat) and I think that helped guys because when we did have things to say in the locker room, guys realized that it was coming from a fresh perspective. Getting everyone to realize it’s a brand new season (is key). If you win the Stanley Cup the year before, it doesn’t mean you’re getting back there the next year.

“So our mentality was to be in attack mode and really go after that season. And honestly we didn’t have a great start — I think we were right about .500 after about 20 games. It was a part of the team. It happened and maybe it took a little time to get over it. Everyone in here seems like they’re past it. But everywhere we go the first couple of months, we’re going to be asked about it and you have to be prepared for it. You can’t just put it completely out of your mind. So using that fuel and having a bit of a chip on your shoulder can be a really great asset to us if we use it the right way.”

When most teams strive to be balanced, it’s often in reference to offense and defense. For the Bruins this year, it manifests itself more in their mental approach: To what degree does the team have collective amnesia about its recent failure? And also, how can they summon that disappointment to fortify themselves this year?