The Atlantic division of the NHL looks to be a competitive division this coming year, with a mix of contenders, teams who are on the rise, and teams looking to bounce back. Boston falls into the latter. After Bergeron and Krejci retired, and a lengthy public negotiation with Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins had a down year, ultimately missing the playoffs and trading away Brandon Carlo to the Leafs and Brad Marchand to the Panthers, who then went on to win the Stanley Cup.
What can we expect from the Bruins this season, and will they be able to challenge the Leafs for a spot in the playoffs this season? Let's look into their team below.
One sentence to describe Bruins' 2025 offseason
General manager Don Sweeney added depth and physicality up front, while leaving options open for younger players to push for roster spots.
Boston's biggest addition heading into the 2025-26 season
While the Bruins didn't make any headline additions in this offseason there still seems to be one that is the most savvy, and that would be acquiring Viktor Arvidsson from the Edmonton Oilers. This trade was more or less a cap dump for the Oilers, who only received a 2027 5th round pick, but acquiring Arvidsson as a bounce back candidate is what the Bruins need to be doing with their current team construction.
Arvidsson has had offensive success in the NHL, with five seasons with over 45 points and a 59 point season in 2022-23, but was limited the following season due to injury, and struggled slightly with the Oilers last season. When making cuts on the roster, the Oilers ultimately decided that they couldn't carry his $4 million cap hit, and cut loose. The Bruins as a team are looking to rebound and have a much stronger year, and adding in some offense with a bounce back candidate is a smart more. If things go well with Arvidsson he may be helping them push towards playoffs, but ultimately if the team ends up selling at the deadline, they likely will get more than the 5th round pick that they spent on him.
Bruins biggest loss of the offseason
The Bruins didn't have many departures this summer, and it was a rather low event summer, but ultimately a departure that may hurt down the line is losing Brandon Bussi to the Florida Panthers after not qualifying him. Bussi has potential, but with Korpisalo and Swayman already set to be on the Bruins NHL roster, there was not a clear pathway for him. The Panthers will look to help the goaltender breakout and make the NHL, as both the Panthers and Bussi hope to make the Bruins regret losing him.
Other Bruins moves of note
The Bruins also signed some players to compete for a spot in the lineup and add grit to the lineup in Tanner Jeannot and Michael Eyssimont, while also adding Jordan Harris on the backend. Harris has shown some ability to be an NHL regular, but hasn't fully found his own in the NHL and will look to do so on this Bruins team. The Bruins also signed Michael DiPietro, a goaltender who has yet to break through to the NHL but has shown promise at all prior levels of play.
Should the Bruins be better or worse compared to last season?
The Bruins have often been a tough team to play against their additions should help things stay that way. Jeannot and Eyssimont bring the energy, but will these additions and added grit cost goals? The Bruins will likely give some of their younger players a shot in the lineup, as well as rely on added offense from Arvidsson.
The Bruins had some struggling players likely to have a rebound, especially goaltender Jereymy Swayman, and a full season from Charlie McAvoy will also help the team greatly. Even with those two players having a successful season, the Bruins look to be right in between a contender and a selling team, and their success will largely depend on their young players. The Bruins didn't effectively replace former captain, Brad Marchand, and eyes will be on their defense core to see how it performs without Brandon Carlo, who was traded to the Leafs at the last trade deadline.
Long-term outlook
Most of the Bruins core players are in their core, but Lohrei, Poitras, and Minten will look to be key players for the current Bruins and the Bruins in the future. The Bruins also have a decent prospect pool that can be insulated if they end up as sellers at this year's trade deadline. The most exciting future piece for the Bruins though was acquired in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft that saw James Hagens fall into the Bruins' laps at 7th overall. The Bruins will look to keep their competitive window open with their current core, but may end up stuck in the middle for a few years while their young players develop further.