Boston Bruins
We predicted a playoff look for the Bruins in 2025-26, however there have been loads of whiffs as properly.
The Boston Bruins largely exceeded expectations throughout Marco Sturm’s first 12 months on the helm, going from a cellar-dweller within the Jap Convention standings to 100 factors and a spot within the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston nonetheless has loads of work to do when it comes to taking another step as a legitimate contender, however few anticipated the Bruins to even be remotely near the playoff image this spring.
We’ll pat ourselves on the again for accurately predicting this Bruins membership would punch its ticket to the playoffs in our “bold predictions” preseason piece back in October.
That being stated, it was removed from an ideal exhibiting from yours really in the case of mapping out the assorted peaks and valleys that include any given hockey season.
Right here’s a glance again at our daring predictions for the 2025-26 Bruins.
Jeremy Swayman bounces again
The decision: Appropriate!
A few of our optimism in a Bruins resurgence this previous season was rooted within the perception that Jeremy Swayman was much better than the .892 save share he submitted throughout a depressing 2024-25 marketing campaign.
Certain sufficient, Swayman proved that final 12 months’s struggles had been an aberration — with the 27-year-old netminder earning a finalist nod for the Vezina Trophy. Whereas Swayman’s baseline stats could not precisely leap off the web page (.908 save share), they don’t paint the complete image of how Swayman routinely bailed out a porous Bruins protection.
Amongst certified goalies this previous season, Swayman ranked second in the NHL in goals saved above expected at 28.8.
Had it not been for Swayman, a retooling — and flawed — Bruins roster would possible be watching one other lottery choose this spring.
Boston leads the NHL in hits, penalty minutes
The decision: Shut, however no cigar.
Cam Neely’s declaration of the Bruins needing to operate with more “piss and vinegar” largely performed out on the ice this previous season — with bruisers like Tanner Jeannot, Nikita Zadorov, and Mark Kastelic touchdown loads of welts out on the frozen sheet.
As anticipated, the Bruins had been one of many extra bodily groups within the NHL, rating second within the league in each complete penalties (372) and penalty minutes per recreation (11.9).
When it comes to hits doled out, the Bruins ranked sixth general with 1,861 on the 12 months, per MoneyPuck. Whereas grit and snarl are sometimes a sought-after part for contending golf equipment, it’s value noting that three lottery groups within the Rangers (2,112), Panthers (2,024), and Maple Leafs (1,870) ranked first, second, and fifth in complete hits this previous 12 months.
If the Bruins need to evolve, Neely pressured that the subsequent order of enterprise is so as to add some pace and ability to this roster over the summer season.
Boston ranks in backside third of 5v5 objectives scored
The decision: Yikes!
We had been banking on a Swayman bounce-back. However we didn’t count on Boston’s 5-on-5 scoring to take such a significant leap ahead.
After rating twenty third within the NHL in 5-on-5 tallies in 2024-25, the Bruins ranked eighth in that class this previous 12 months with 183 5-on-5 objectives.
The Bruins had a number of gamers pull on the rope within the scoring division, with 10 totally different gamers tallying no less than 10 objectives and a whopping 18 gamers recording no less than 15 complete factors.
One of many high surprises all season was the play of Boston’s second line of Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, and Casey Mittelstadt. For all the query marks concerning that trio’s upside, they had been arguably among the best strains within the NHL in the course of the common season, outscoring opponents, 42-22, in their 583:24 of 5-on-5 ice time.
Even with Boston’s uptick in scoring, the Bruins might want to metal themselves towards some potential regression transferring ahead — particularly with Arvidsson’s pending free-agent standing and several other gamers submitting career-best taking pictures percentages.
The Bruins’ high line combines for 101 objectives
The decision: Not fairly.
All issues thought of, it was nonetheless a comparatively productive season from two of the three featured gamers on Boston’s high line in David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.
Even with prolonged scoring lulls, Geekie took one other step ahead as a respectable top-six weapon with 39 objectives in 81 video games.
After tallying 30 or extra objectives in eight consecutive 82-game NHL seasons, Pastrnak solely lit the lamp 29 occasions over 77 video games in 2025-26. Nevertheless, he greater than made up for that dip in goal-scoring punch with 71 assists and his fourth-straight 12 months with no less than 100 factors.
Elias Lindholm began sturdy (particularly on the ability play), however an ailing again restricted him down the stretch. The veteran middle scored 17 objectives and 48 factors over 69 video games.
A shiny spot down the stretch throughout Boston’s ugly 2024-25 marketing campaign, the trio of Pastrnak, Lindholm, and Geekie couldn’t discover a lot traction this previous 12 months.
In that line’s 347 minutes of 5-on-5 reps, the Bruins had been really outscored, 19-16.
Hampus Lindholm takes over as Boston’s power-play QB
The decision: No assist wanted.
We tabbed extra reps for Lindholm as a possible treatment for a Bruins power-play unit that solely cashed in on 15.2 p.c of its power-play bids in 2024-25 — rating simply twenty ninth within the NHL.
Seems, they didn’t have to shift their personnel all that a lot to get again on monitor.
Underneath assistant coach Steve Spott’s watch, the Bruins’ man benefit bounced again, ending ninth within the league with a 23.4 p.c success price. Charlie McAvoy’s development as a power-play QB performed a key function in that resurgence, as he recorded a career-high 61 factors over 69 video games.
Even with Boston’s improved special-teams play, some extra tweaks will likely be wanted getting into the 2026-27 season — particularly with the Bruins’ power-play manufacturing slumping down the stretch.
From Feb. 1 via the tip of the common season (27 complete video games), Boston solely transformed on 16.7 p.c of its energy performs — rating twenty eighth within the NHL over that stretch.
Mikey Eyssimont takes house seventh Participant Award
The decision: Brutal.
The Bruins’ plans of being a more durable out made the signing of Mikey Eysimmont a logical offseason transfer, given the 29-year-old ahead’s agitating method.
However, Eyssimont didn’t precisely transfer the needle on a Bruins roster that was chock stuffed with scrappy bottom-six skaters. Eyssimont appeared in 56 complete video games for Boston in 2025-26 — repeatedly taking in video games from the ninth ground as a depth choice in Sturm’s lineup.
The Bruins had a number of deserving candidates for the seventh Participant Award — an annual award voted on by followers for the participant who exceeded expectations over the course of the season. This 12 months, the dignity went to 21-year-old Fraser Minten, who seemed the half as a future lineup fixture whereas serving as a reliable, two-way pivot for Sturm over 82 video games.
Bruins make a commerce for scoring assist
The decision: Fortunately, I’m not an NHL GM.
We had the Bruins — seemingly hindered by an absence of scoring punch — pulling off a blockbuster deal for Colorado winger Martin Necas after he expressed a willingness to hit free company this summer season.
As an alternative, Necas signed an eight-year contract extension in Colorado in late October value a mean annual worth of $11.5 million — with the speedy Czech ahead doubtlessly taking part in for a Stanley Cup within the coming weeks.
Even when Necas was an obtainable goal, the Bruins made the decision to face pat on the NHL’s 2026 commerce deadline in March — a reversal from the earlier season’s hearth sale.
Boston might need overachieved this previous 12 months, however Sweeney’s resolution to relinquish future belongings for win-now gamers would have been a short-sighted transfer — particularly given the hole between this retooling roster and a few of the juggernauts nonetheless within the NHL playoff image.
James Hagens earns a cup of espresso with the Bruins within the spring
The decision: Only a decaf — however right.
We set affordable expectations for James Hagens going into his sophomore season at Boston Faculty.
“Don’t count on Hagens to mild the world on hearth as he adjusts to the professional recreation over the ultimate weeks of the common season. However, Hagens’ pace and edge work affords hope that the Bruins have a respectable top-six weapon for the longer term,” we famous in October.
Certain sufficient, Hagens showcased a few of his upside throughout 5 complete video games with Boston (together with three playoff bouts towards Buffalo) after closing out his collegiate profession at Chestnut Hill.
The 19-year-old ahead nonetheless has loads of room to develop getting into his first full season within the NHL ranks. However, Hagens’ upside is evident in the case of his playmaking capabilities and tempo at hockey’s highest degree.
The Bruins don’t identify a captain this season
The decision: Proper on the cash.
The Bruins — focusing extra on resetting the usual and constructing a brand new tradition with a reworked roster — opted to maintain its present management hierarchy in place in 2025-26.
While Sturm had few qualms with Boston taking part in and not using a set captain this season, Neely acknowledged earlier this month that Boston has “started discussions” about stitching a “C” right into a participant’s sweater sooner or later earlier than subsequent season.
An early daring prediction for 2026-27? The captaincy goes to David Pastrnak.
Bruins sneak into the playoffs as the ultimate Wild Card staff
The decision: Even higher!
As depressing as final season was for Boston, the case for Boston fielding a aggressive — albeit flawed — staff wasn’t an enormous stretch.
We had Boston bouncing again as a consequence of stout goaltending and stronger special-teams play — leading to a 40-31-11 file and the ultimate Wild Card spot within the Jap Convention.
As an alternative, the Bruins snagged the primary Wild Card spot with a 45-27-10 file, equating to 100 factors.
“It will not be an prolonged playoff run in 2025-26, however Sturm’s efforts to reset the usual this winter strikes this franchise in the fitting route,” we wrote this fall.
Boston nonetheless has loads of work to do to make sure this previous season was not an outlier.
However, we’ll give ourselves a stick faucet for our preliminary projection.
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