Boston Bruins
“I feel you by no means actually know what it is going to be like ‘until you are really in it.”
In a season the place franchise stalwarts like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman helped push the Bruins again into the playoffs, it was a promising signal for the state of the Authentic Six franchise {that a} pair of rookies drew a lot of the headlines on Tuesday evening.
Boston’s regular-season finale had loads of juice for a sleepy midweek matchup for a Bruins workforce already locked into the playoff subject.
However, Boston’s bout with the New Jersey Devils marked the primary house sport for Bruins’ blue-chip prospect James Hagens — fresh off an encouraging debut Sunday evening in Columbus.
The 19-year-old Hagens was launched in Boston’s beginning lineup, taking within the applause from Boston’s barn whereas skating on a line with 21-year-old Fraser Minten and 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov.
“Rising up, I used to be sporting gamers on this league’s jerseys,” Hagens stated of seeing his No. 44 sweater within the stands on Tuesday. “I nonetheless have them in my closet. When [I’m] enjoying some pond hockey, I’ll throw somebody’s jersey on. It’s actually cool to see.”
Minten, who performed in all 82 of Boston’s video games this season, took house some {hardware} earlier than Tuesday’s sport started.
The younger heart — plucked from Toronto ultimately 12 months’s commerce deadline — took house the seventh Participant Award, which is handed out yearly to the participant who exceeded the expectations of Bruins followers over the course of the season.
As soon as seen as a high-floor prospect who might slot into a daily bottom-six function in due time, Minten as a substitute spent a hefty portion of the 2025-26 marketing campaign in Boston’s top-six grouping — scoring 17 targets and 35 whole factors whereas averaging 15:33 of ice time.
“I feel I consider in myself, consider that I may very well be a participant like this, and I consider I generally is a lot higher nonetheless, too,” Minten stated of taking house the award. “So I don’t know if I essentially exceeded [expectations], however I’m pleased with the 12 months I had.”
The arrival of Hagens and the promise showcased by Minten bodes properly for a Bruins workforce seemingly properly forward of schedule from what was as soon as considered a multi-year rebuild in Boston.
Now, because the calendar flips to the postseason, it’s to be anticipated that established veterans like Pastrnak, Swayman, McAvoy, Morgan Geekie, Nikita Zadorov, and others will maintain a major quantity of sway over Boston’s playoff hopes.
However, simply how far Boston goes this spring would possibly hinge on simply how a lot unproven children like Hagens, Minten, and a big crop of rookies can elevate an already overachieving core.
One of many anticipated storylines that has already percolated out of the upcoming first-round matchup between the Bruins and Sabres is the dearth of postseason expertise in Buffalo’s locker room.
Simply 12 gamers on Buffalo’s roster have performed a sport below the intense lights of the postseason, with franchise stalwarts like Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson beforehand shut out of these reps throughout Buffalo’s prolonged playoff purgatory.
Boston actually isn’t missing in that division, headlined by a duo of Pastrnak and McAvoy who’ve logged a mixed 181 video games within the playoffs.
However because the Bruins brace for the postseason, a hefty phase of their very own roster can be prepping for his or her first style of high-stakes hockey within the NHL ranks — together with Minten, Khusnutdinov, Hagens, and blueliner Jonathan Aspirot.
All 4 of these gamers determine to be key contributors towards the Sabres within the coming days.
“I like working with them,” Marco Sturm stated Tuesday of incorporating youthful gamers into the lineup. “It was good to see that we put some children in there, and in addition some draft picks [that] have success right here in Boston.”
Minten and the fleet-footed Khusnutdinov have introduced tempo wherever Sturm has stapled them into the lineup.
In the 326 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time the place that duo has been out on the ice, the Bruins have outscored opponents, 18-9.
Khusnutdinov’s capacity to hound pucks and power turnovers is commonly the match that sparks fruitful O-zone sequences, whereas Minten’s regular two-way sport presents Sturm with a Swiss Military Knife that can be utilized in a wide range of roles up and down the depth chart.
“He was one of many guys we really talked about, perhaps put him within the minors to begin [the season]. … And take a look at him now, like he went from that to enjoying with David Pastrnak,” Sturm stated of Minten. “It’s arduous to do, and that’s why he’s a particular participant.”
Hagens — a late addition to that line — affords the home-run potential that might put Buffalo’s blueliners on their collective heels when the previous Boston Faculty standout has the puck on his stick.
Boston’s high prospect has been as marketed together with his skating capacity and playmaking creativity, even when that hasn’t been mirrored in a stuffed stat line (one help in two video games).
However, it’s Hagens’ particulars and sometimes missed skillset in relation to successful pucks and producing clear breakouts which have caught the attention of a few of his new teammates.
“The talent quantity is wonderful,” Pastrnak stated of Hagens. “Even the wall performs. … I bear in mind coming into the league, I had a extremely powerful time with wall performs and successful these battles across the wall as a winger. And he’s made a bunch of actually good breakout performs.”
Hagens may very well be a possible X-factor for the Bruins if these sensible, sound performs assist get Boston shifting in transition, whereas his playmaking capabilities within the offensive zone might create matchup points for Lindy Ruff and his workers if Boston’s third line begins touchdown punches.
The shortage of any power-play reps within the final two video games hasn’t given Sturm any type of preview of how Hagens might assist spark that unit — particularly in relation to ferrying the puck by way of the impartial zone with a purpose to generate clear entries.
“Performed properly once more at this time,” Sturm stated of Hagens after Tuesday’s 4-0 win. “He felt far more snug, I felt like. He will probably be a great one. I feel everybody might see it. Did a whole lot of good issues and yeah, I like what I noticed within the final two video games, that’s for positive.”
Aspirot has oftentimes been an unheralded cog in Boston’s success this season. A profession AHLer on the lookout for his shot within the NHL ranks, the 26-year-old blueliner’s no-frills, low-risk strategy steadied Boston’s uneven defensive construction.
In simply 61 video games this season, Aspirot boasted a team-leading plus-30 score. In these 61 video games that Aspirot took to the ice, Boston posted a file of 38-13-10. With out the rugged D-man on the ice, Boston’s file was a lackluster 7-14-0.
There’s no assure that Boston’s subsequent wave of younger expertise will see their contributions translate to the playoffs. The stakes are raised, the competitors is fierce, and the true property afforded to puck carriers is considerably shrunk.
It’s a problem that Minten welcomes forward of probably the most significant video games of his fledgling profession.
“I feel you by no means actually know what it’s going to be like ‘until you’re really in it,” Minten stated of playoff hockey. “Simply attempt to have some good video games … play arduous, play the appropriate means, and yeah, mentally, bodily, [I] really feel prepared for Recreation 1.”
Join the At present publication
Get the whole lot you’ll want to know to begin your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
