Its another season of Bawful Bruins Hockey and unlike last year, hopes are up for this season. The albatross known as Joonas Korpisalo's contract is gone and the Bruins replaced aging veterans with younger talent. Let's see how the team looks going into the season.
1st Line:
Left Wing - JJ Peterka
Last season Viktor Arvidsson was everything the Bruins could have hoped for with a 25 goal, 29 assist season and two goals against Buffalo in the playoffs. The problem is he turned 33 in April and he wanted a big contract. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings. To replace him, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney cashed in one of his assets by trading the first round pick from Florida in 2028 from the Brad Marchand trade as well as their own first round pick in the 2026 draft to the Utah Mammoth for budding forward JJ Peterka. He was a second round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2020 and broke out in 2024 with a 28 goal, 22 assist season. He bettered that in 2025 by scoring 27 goals and dishing 41 assists. After the 25 season he was traded to the Utah Hockey Club for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring (which Buffalo benefitted from as Doan pumped in 13 points for the Sabres 2026 playoff run). The newly named Mammoth saw Peterka regress to 47 points in the regular season and evaporate in the playoffs against Las Vegas. Still, at just 24 years old, he's nearly a decade younger than Arvidsson and should thrive here. Being on the same line as David Pastrnak will be deadly to opposing teams.
Center - Elias Lindholm
After the Bruins got knocked out of the 2024 playoffs, they shelled out big money for top line center Elias Lindholm. He disappointed on a bad Bruins team putting up just 47 points and being a -4 on the season. Last year was more of the same with 48 points and a -7 on the season. Its doubtful he's ever going to be the player he was in 2022 when he put up 82 points, especially since he's turning 32 in December. Still, with Peterka on one side and David Pastrnak on the other, he HAS to play better this year....right?
Right Wing - David Pastrnak
Boston's lone superstar was anything but last season. He scored just 29 goals but still dished out 71 assists for a 100 point season. The problem is his point totals have decreased every year since he came in second for the Hart Trophy in 2023. Going from playing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand to Elias Lindholm didn't exactly set Pastrnak up for success. Another factor is he's on the wrong side of 30 since he turned the big 3-0 in May. Still, this year he's got JJ Peterka on his line so his point totals might be damn good when all is said and done this year. In essence, the season is going to rest on the shoulders of three players and he's one of them. If he can get back into the 40 goal range while still being up there in assists, he'll be in the Hart Trophy conversation again.
2nd Line
Left Wing - Casey Mittelstadt
Fans were skeptical of Casey Mittelstadt accomplishing anything in Boston after he was traded for local fan favorite Charlie Coyle at the 2025 trade deadline. He had a mediocre 2026 season scoring 15 goals but putting up just 27 assists. This year might be different now that he'll be playing with Morgan Geekie instead of Viktor Arvidsson. He'll be 28 in November so this might be the best he's ever going to be, hope its a career year.
Center - Pavel Zacha
C- Pavel Zacha
The hero of the 2026 season was arguably Pavel Zacha. After three seasons putting up 47-57 points, he had a career year with 30 goals and 35 assists playing primarily with Middlestadt and Arvidsson. This year he's going to be centering Middlestadt and Moran Geekie. Hopefully Zacha can duplicate the success he had last season, they'll be in great shape if he can. Small victory but he went from a -8 in 2025 to a +4 last year.
Right Wing - Morgan Geekie
Not just Pavel Zacha, but Morgan Geekie had a career year as well in 2026. After being the scrap heap hero in 2024, he put up 57 points in 2025. Last year he scored 39 goals and put up 29 assists playing on the first line. With JJ Peterka in the fold, Geekie has been demoted to the second line with Zacha and Mittelstadt. This might be a blessing in disguise because Zacha and Geekie could feed off each other better than they did last year. It would be unfair to expect another 39 goal season from Morgan but if he could come close, that would be nice.
3rd Line
Left Wing - James Hagens
The Bruins took a chance on a local yokel in the 2025 draft when they took Boston College star James Hagens sixth overall. He played most of 2025 with the Boston College Eagles before playing 6 games in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. Hagens got in three games in the playoffs last year and even though he didn't do much, he got some much needed experience. This year he turns 20 in November and fans are expecting him to start producing since he has a year under his belt. Still, at 19 years old he was never going to be Connor McDavid but if he can do what Fraser Minten did last year, that'll be good enough.
Center - Fraser Minten
The Toronto Maple Leafs lucked out big time when they traded Fraser Minten and a first round pick to the Bruins for Brandon Carlo when the pick became first overall this past season. Still, they're going to miss Fraser Minten. He was drafted in the second round back in 2022 and played just 4 games with the Leafs in 2024. He played in just 15 in 2025 before he was sent to the Bruins. Last year Minten showed flashes of what might be coming as he scored 17 goals while putting up 18 assists playing with Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont. This year he'll have fellow youngster Jake Hagens and Marat Khusnutdinov by his side. Let's see if he can have a breakout season.
Right Wing - Marat Khusnutdinov
Don Sweeney might have found a diamond in the rough when he traded Justin Brazeau for 22 year old Russian winger Marat Khusnutdinov at the 2025 deadline. Not expecting to be anything more than a fourth line grinder and AHL fodder, Marat scored 15 goals and dished out 18 assists. This year the 24 year old will be on a line with the fellow youngsters Hagens and Minten. Time will tell if they split the line or not, but it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
4th Line
Left Wing - Tanner Jeannot
Last year Tanner Jeannot surprised everyone by cutting down on the penalty minutes and posted his best point total since 2022 with 22. Still, his mission on the fourth line is to crush heads and pairing him with Mark Kastelic means DO NOT mess with Pastrnak, Minten, Hagens or Peterka. Who knows, maybe he'll put up 22 points again this season. If not, his mission is to strike fear in the hearts of opponents. Analytic nerds can cry all they want, but sometimes toughness means more than points.
Center - Sean Kuraly
Just like Jeannot, Kuraly returned to Boston and put up his best point total since 2022 with 22. The Bruins are hoping for a repeat this year but at 33 years old, the years might be catching up to him. Playing on the same line as the cement heads Kastelic and Jeannot won't get him a lot of points but who knows, maybe he'll have another good season. Not much you can expect from the fourth line but at least they might be entertaining.
Defense Pairing 1
Left Side - Hampus Lindholm
Hampus Lindholm was badly missed in 2025 when he was limited to 17 games due to injury but bounced back big time in 2026. He matched his 2024 total with 26 points and hopefully can maintain that pace this coming season. As always, injuries will be a factor but if he and Charlie McAvoy can stay healthy, the Bruins have a big chance to make the playoffs this season.
Right Side - Charlie McAvoy
The unquestioned number 1 D-man for the Bruins is once again Charlie Mac. He bounced back from his 2025 injury to put up 61 points last season. This year he's missing the first 6 games of the season after that little lovetap in the playoffs against Buffalo. When he gets back he joins a defensive crew that good but not great. They still need a big man to replace Zdeno Chara but they've been looking for years. Still, as long as Charlie is upright, the Bruins have a chance. Remember how I said the Bruins are going to rely on 3 players? He's the second.
Defense Pairing 2
Left Side - Nikita Zadorov
D - Nikita Zadorov
"The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Zadorov led the league in penalty minutes two years in a row which is fine, but putting the Bruins on the penalty kill more often than not causes more harm than good. Still, he's the 6'7 bruiser the Bruins needed since Adam McQuaid patrolled the blue line. With guys like Zadorov, Jeannot and Kastelic around, teams are going to think twice of cheapshotting their younger players. It would be nice to put up more than 22 points but like mentioned earlier, sometimes striking fear in your opponent means more than points.
Right Side - Connor Clifton
Look kids, Connor Clifton is back! After Andrew Peeke were told to get to steppin, the Bruins brought back former d-man Clifton who left after the 2023 disaster in the first round. Its unlikely he puts up 23 points like he did four years ago, but if he does, it'll be a welcome sight. The Bruins still need one more d-man to be taken seriously but can't help that now.
Defense Pairing 3
Left Side - Jonathan Aspirot
Career minor leaguer Jonathan Aspirot got his chance last year to show what he had with the Bruins and he put up 13 points in 60 games. With Charlie McAvoy out, Aspirot has about 6 games to show what he's got or he might be the healthy scratch. Lindholm, Clifton McAvoy and Zadorov aren't going anywhere but the other three remaining have only two slots to play for. Hopefully that creates the good kind of competition.
Right Side - Mason Lohrei
Its sad when draft picks don't pan out the way you hope. Lohrei was the Bruins 2nd round pick in 2020 and looked to have broken out in 2025 with a 33 point season. Fans were hoping he'd take the next step in 2026....and he only put up 26 points. Still, points aren't everything as his plus/minus went from -43 to +17 last year. Keeping the puck out of the net for a defenseman is more important than putting them in yourself. If Lohrei can build on last year and continue to keep pucks out of the net, the Bruins will be in good shape.
Starting Goalie - Jeremy Swayman
When I mentioned the Bruins hopes and dreams are on the shoulders of three men, the third and final one is starting goalie Jeremy Swayman. The co-owner of Goalie Hug Incorporated burst onto the scene in 2022 and became tag team partners with Linus Ullmark, winning the Jennings Trophy together in 2023 with Ullmark taking home the Vezina. Then everything crashed when Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators following the 2024 season in a package deal for goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Swayman held out for big money and the 2025 season was the worst of Swayman's career. Last year Swayman bounced back to drop his GAA from 3.11 to 2.71. Now Korpisalo is gone and hopefully head coach Marco Sturm can have some semblence of a rotation to keep Swayman from running out of gas. If he can play like he did from 22-24 again, the Bruins has as good a chance as any to do some damage this year.
Backup Goalie - Michael DiPietro
Its finally time for Michael DiPietro to shine. Originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks back in 2017, the Canucks cut him loose after just 3 professional games. His career looked to be over when no American Hockey League team wanted him prior to the 2022-23 season so he swallowed his pride and joined the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. The Boston Bruins saw him down in Double A and thought he was worthy enough to sign to an AHL contract with the Providence Bruins. He backstopped the Bruins from 2024-26, getting a cup of coffee in Boston last year. With Joonas Korpisalo's albatross of a contract out of here, it'll be up to the former Maine Mariner to keep the Bruins in games during back to backs and be good enough so Swayman doesn't have to play 60 games. Its a good rags to riches story, hopefully he can have a good season this year.
Healthy Scratches:
Defenseman - Will Borgen
A healthy scratch in name only is 29 year old (30 in December) defenseman Will Borgen. Originally drafted by Buffalo, he was taken in the expansion draft by the brand new Seattle Kraken for the 2022-23 deason. He played in just 36 games that year but then became an every day defenseman for the Kraken and New York Rangers after he was traded there in 2025. He's a defensive defenseman that kills penalties so don't look for a big points season out of him. For the first six games he's going to be out there until Charlie McAvoy comes back. Then coach Marco Sturm has some decisions to make. Still, if they want goal prevention, Borgen isn't a bad option to have.
Forward - Michael Eyssimont
The emergence of Jake Hagens and the development of Fraser Minten unfortunately made Michael Eyssimont expendable. Eyssimont came over from the Seattle Kraken after putting up 104 penalty minutes with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2024 and 63 with Tampa and Seattle combined in 2025. Last year he played 56 games, scored 8 goals and dished out 10 assists while keeping his penalty minutes to just 31. The Bruins already have some tough guys in Jeannot, Kastelic and Zadorov but if someone gets hurt, he'll be in the press box just waiting for a chance.
Defenseman - Frederic Brunet
One of their depth pieces is defenseman Frederic Brunet. Taken in the fifth round back in 2022, Brunet has been a staple in Providence the last four years. He did get a one game cup of coffee in 2025 but that was it. If someone gets hurt, he'll be in the press box for now. He did score 12 goals for Providence last year for what its worth.
Injured Players:
Center - Matthew Poitras
One of the reasons Providence Bruins coach Ryan Mougenel left for Vancouver before getting fired was because he openly admitted to preferring to coach veteran grinders rather than the prospects he was supposedly developing. Guys like Fabian Lysell and Matthew Poitras suffered the most as they were supposed to be the future. Poitras was a second round pick in 2022 and looked to become a teen sensation on the 2023-24 Bruins, but a devastating injury cut his season short after 5 goals and 10 assists in 33 games. The past two seasons he's looked good in the AHL but played just 36 NHL games amassing just 2 goals. This year he's starting the season on the injured list but after that, who knows. Former Bruin Trent Whitfield is coaching Providence now, maybe he can get more out of Poitras if and when he goes to the AHL after his injury. Bottom line is, the Bruins would have a better youth movement if their own drafting and developing didn't suck.
Head Coach - Marco Sturm
Fans were skeptical of the Bruins hiring another member of the "boy's club" when ex-Bruin Marco Sturm was tabbed to be the head coach of the 2025-26 Bruins. Sturm did an admirable job last year, coaxing 45 wins and 100 points to a team that lacked a major superstar outside of David Pastrnak. He's not Mike Keenan or John Tortorella but he's not Dave Lewis either. If the Bruins youth movement steps up this year, they might have a chance.
Last year the Bruins got bounced by the Buffalo Sabres in 6 games in the first round mostly due to the lack of high end talent. The Bruins are looking internally for help, essentially banking the season on Pastrnak becoming a monster again with Jake Hagen and Fraser Minten becoming studs. It won't mean anything if they can't keep the puck out of the net. Also Michael DiPietro better give them something since Joonas Korpisalo couldn't the previous two years. Last year the Bruins looked to be a middling team on the verge of another blowup after the 2025 disaster but pulled together to have a decent season. Getting JJ Peterka to hopefully replicate or better Viktor Arvidsson's numbers should be a great add, but if someone important like Swayman or McAvoy gets hurt, forget about it. Still, unlikely last year there should be some hope and expectations.
No comments:
Post a Comment