Boston Bruins 2026-27 Season Preview
And just like that, hockey is back on Causeway St! The Bruins enter the season with higher expectations after surprising most with a 100 – point campaign last year. The Atlantic division, however, has only gotten tougher over the summer. Boston will again have to lean heavily on their three stars – David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman – to earn a postseason berth in April.
The Forwards
Newly minted team captain David Pastrnak remains the only game breaking forward on the Bruins. Boston acquired JJ Peterka from Utah at the draft last summer to bring some desperately needed speed and skill to the top six. Morgan Geekie will be counted on to remain a 30-plus-goal scorer. Facing unrestricted free agency next summer, the Bruins will have a decision to make on Pavel Zacha. If Boston is not within striking distance of the playoffs by the trade deadline and Zacha remains unsigned, the Bruins could stand to acquire a hefty ransom for the Czech center. Elias Lindholm and Casey Mittelstadt remain big question marks in the top six. Can Lindholm stay healthy? Can Mittelstadt produce in a contract year? Boston has some exciting kids to keep an eye on. Fraser Minten, James Hagens and Marat Khusnutdinov are your third liners. Speed, skill, youth. I look forward to watching them fly. Matt Poitras also made the big club but opens the season on injured reserve.
The Defenders
Star defenseman Charlie McAvoy will have to watch his teammates first six games from the sidelines as the season starts. He will be serving time for his slashing major on Zach Benson in last year’s playoffs. An early obstacle for the Bruins, no doubt. Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov and newly acquired Will Borgen will have to provide Boston’s blueline with the leadership it requires until McAvoy can suit up. Connor Clifton is back for a second tour of duty as a free agent signing in July. Depth defenseman Jonathan Aspirot will look to build off a solid rookie season. Mason Lohrei enters the season with a big question mark on his back. Will he round out his game to fit coach Marco Sturm’s system, or will Boston ship him out? Time will tell. The fact that rookie Frederic Brunet has made the Bruins might be my favorite story out of camp. He will see plenty of ice time with McAvoy sitting out.
Goaltenders
Jeremy Swayman returned to form last season after a forgettable 2024-25 campaign. Not only did he backstop the Bruins to a playoff spot, but he was named a Vezina Trophy Finalist for the league’s top goalie. Boston is in good hands with Swayman at the helm. GM Don Sweeney managed to move on from Joonas Korpisalo this past summer. This cleared the way for the reigning two-time goalie of the year in the AHL Michael DiPietro. He enters the league as Boston’s new backup and had a strong preseason to convey further optimism.
Coaching
Marco Sturm isn’t the new guy behind the bench anymore. The former Bruin led Boston to a 45-27-10 record last season. Good enough for eighth overall and a playoff spot. A nice debut to say the least. This time around Sturm won’t be implementing his system. Players can hit the ground running with a sense of familiarity. Steve Spott will continue to work with the groups power play. His resume for man advantage success lived up to the hype last season as the Bruins finished with the ninth-best power play in the league. The Bruins said goodbye to Jay Leach over the summer, and Sturm brought in Matt McIlvane to work with the defense. Some new blood sure doesn’t hurt.
Bottom Line and Prediction
The Bruins are set up well to build off a strong season, however the Atlantic division might be the league’s strongest. With Florida poised to regain their form, Montreal and Buffalo finally finding their strides and Tampa Bay being Tampa Bay, Boston will be in a dog fight with Toronto for a wild card spot. Stranger things have happened of course but I see Boston finishing just outside this year. With promising things on the way, a step back season might benefit them in the long run. However, I said something similar last season, and they comfortably made the playoffs. It feels like this year, however, the challenge will be greater.
The Lookahead
Boston opens its season on Tuesday night in front of their fans against the Rangers. The weekend then sees them on a two-day road trip through Winnipeg and Minnesota before returning home to face Ottawa on Monday, Oct 5. Drop the puck!
G-Rant @TheRealG_Rant/Grant Cumming. Bruins fan. Bigger dreams, bigger screens, bigger feelings are planned.
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