Rear Admiral's 2025-2026 Boston Bruins Preview
FORWARDS
Taking a look at the forwards on DF’s Bruins page, the local fandom isn’t exactly hit with a bolt of confidence or Stanley Cup visions.
The Bs have one bona fide, A1 first-liner who also doubles as one of the NHL’s most dynamic superstars. I feel like his brilliance is somehow overshadowed by Boston’s other three majors. But we have a special player at his peak right now and his competitiveness, character, and charisma can more than help this team overcome doomy pre-season prognostications.
The universally-loved Pasta has put up 151-178–329 in 246 games while playing every regular season game in the last three seasons. In the playoffs, the affable Czech sniper has tallied 39-48—87 in 90 GP. He was a Hart runner-up in ’23 and is a regular on post-season NHL All-Star lists.
After him, it’s a crew of talented middle-sixers, fourth liners with grit and experience to spare, and a bunch of proud guys who, for one reason or another, have something to prove. With another 30-goal season, Morgan Geekie can solidify himself as a top-line guy. Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha are a steady, unflashy, two-way presences (and potential trade bait if the season goes sideways). Bringing Sean Kuraly back was a good movie as he and Mark Kastelic will keep opponents honest while they're on the ice.
Viktor Arvidsson was a sneaky-good pick-up the Bs for just a 5th in '27 and $4M salary. Casey Mittelstadt needs to find a defined role and methinks the new bench boss will find it for him. The Tanner Jeannot signing certainly elicited a reaction from the hockey world, with many wondering why teams (plural) have paid Lindbergh baby-level compensation for his services. Fraser Minten has huge upside and I was surprised to see the Bs land him. I love the Mikey Eyssimont signing and he's the type of waterbug who can win the 7th Player Award, and Marat Khusnutdinov impressed in his brief window here last season.
DEFENSEMEN
On the back-end, #1 guy Charlie McAvoy seems like he’s coming in with a little more gristle than before and, yeah, he’s another guy who likely has an “I’ll show you” chip on his shoulder. That’s a good thing. It feels like Chuckie Mac still has another level in there somewhere and I think we see it in ’25-’26.
His camp partner Mason Lohrei belongs on a Mississippi River steamboat playing Texas Hold ‘em but he’s fun as hell to watch and I love his offensive instincts. I see him having a nice bounce this year with a new guy behind the bench. Having a newly-healthy Hampus Lindholm on your second pair is luxury most teams don’t have. Bs fans will be reminded anew exactly why the front office made the move for the former Duck. Andrew Peeke and Henri Jokiharju
I know Nikita Zadorov has become the fanbase’s latest whipping boy in a long line of defensemen who have held the title (funny enough GM Don Sweeney was one as well back in the day). Things were far from ideal when his Bruins career started—what with the lame duck coach and his eye on the door and lé goalie sans training camp—and his early play didn’t exactly aid his cause.
But after Monty was turfed and made it across the River...
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the new-now-former coach Joe Sacco found a better role for the hulking Russian and his game (as well as that of F Elias Lindholm) and it turned his season around. Yeah, he takes that occasional head-scratcher penalty but I’d still rather have a big D-man who will pop you in the mug after the whistle to send a message than one who won’t (just not late in a playoff game).
Itt was his ’24 playoffs performance in 13 games with Vancouver where I first thought, “I’d love to see this guy sign with Boston this summer”. He was the prototypical tough, stay-at-home defenseman with some touch that always had his teammates’ back that you see on pretty much every Cup-winner. He’s still that guy and Bs fans are gonna do a 180 on this guy by the spring. Andrew Peeke is coming into his own as a smart, dependable, D-first D-man and vital PK man and while we didn't see much of Henri Jokiharju yet, the 26-year-old Finn taken 29th overall in 2017 has some upside and could thrive in a lower-pair.
GOALTENDING
If the 2025-26 Boston Bruins make the playoffs, Jeremy Swayman will be the reason why. After a shit season that started shitty because the front office decided to play "Let's Roll Back The Clock And Pretend We're Harry Sinden" instead of nipping an eventuality in the bud, the Bruins #1 goalie is going to have, in the words of the great Jack Edwards, a bee in his bonnet.
With a full camp and something to prove after signing his monster deal but then pissing down his leg a bit, expect a Vezina-caliber effort from the Alaskan goaltender. Him and Pasta are gonna carry this team as far as they can go. Sway is the way.
Despite the pedestrian numbers (2.90, .893), Joonas Korpisalo has been a pretty solid #2 and more than capable of taking over for multi-game stretches if need be.
COACHING
I was psyched when Marco Sturm was hired to take over the Bruins bench. He's had a pretty impressive rise up the coaching ranks; after a stinit as Germany's National Team head coach, the friendly German was an L.A. assistant for four years before becoming head coach of the AHL affiliate Ontario Reign for three seasons. He genuinely seems like the right guy at the right time and I think the Bruins will surprise a few folks.
None of the computations or projections or models have the Bs doing anything this year…
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But between the hair Swayman will have across his ass to Sturm's injection of enthusiasm and camaraderie and its ripple effects in the locker room, I think the Bruins will be in contention for a playoff spot down to the wire and may just snag one. This front office knows it's in a bit of a holding pattern for a season or so but that it also has to ice a competitive squad.
To be sure, this isn't some tank squad hoping to win BINGO to land Gavin McKenna. It's a bit of a pot-luck dinner of a roster. Which is appropriate because a lot of these guys are hungry for the chance to show that the NHL is where they belong.
Go Bs!
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