The Boston Bruins wish to rebound after failing to make the playoffs last season and falling all of the option to last place within the Atlantic Division. It was a shocking turn of events for a team that frequently finds itself within the postseason mix and set the NHL record for wins and points just two seasons earlier.
General manager Don Sweeney doesn’t say the Bruins are rebuilding, and the team’s management is hoping for a fast turnaround within the 2025-26 season. Nevertheless, the Bruins traded captain Brad Marchand ultimately season’s trade deadline and it is obvious that the team needs significant assistance on the offensive end if it will threaten the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and the opposite playoff contenders within the division.
The Bruins still have leading scorer David Pastrnak, but they didn’t hit any home runs during free agency. In addition they didn’t make any huge trades which might be more likely to make opponents fear the team that recent head coach Marco Sturm may have at his disposal. The Bruins made several decent moves, including trading for Viktor Arvidsson and signing free agents Sean Kuraly, Mikey Eyssimont and Tanner Jeannot.
Bruins make key move within the draft
The 32-year-old Arvidsson has scored as many as 34 goals in a season and has topped the 20-goal mark five times in his profession. He scored 15 goals in 67 games last season for the Edmonton Oilers last season.
Kuraly returns to the Bruins after spending the last 4 seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s a solid defensive center who can kill penalties and get the job done within the face-off circle. He has never scored greater than 14 goals in a season. Eyssimont is one other defensive center who can annoy opponents. He has played for 4 teams and has 4 years of NHL experience, including three with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Bruins appear to have made an enormous move with their collection of Boston College center James Hagens in the primary round of the NHL Draft.
The Bruins had the No. 7 pick within the opening round, and plenty of draft observers expected him to be chosen before Sweeney had a probability to call his name. He was the third-ranked skater by the Central Scouting Bureau because he’s a talented scorer, playmaker and leader.
Hagens scored 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points in 37 games for the Eagles. He appears to have enough size to face up to contact and proceed to make plays.
“We’re really excited, the skillset that James brings, the competitiveness, his ability to excel on the large stage against his peer group has really been excellent,” Sweeney said. “He’s a driven kid. He desires to play in those situations.”
Hagens shows off skills at Bruins development camp
The 5-11, 190-pound Hagens has already added some weight and strength to his frame. He made a robust impression on the Bruins development camp along with his skating, puck handling and playmaking.
Former Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid serves because the team’s Player Development Coordinator. He was impressed with what he saw from Hagens on the team’s player development camp.
” I believe the largest thing, the largest takeaway, is he didn’t appear to miss a beat after going through a busy couple days,” McQuaid said. “You’ll be able to tell how smooth he’s on the market, confident with the puck.
“He got here down one end and got to shoot on a goalie and it was like, ‘Alright, here we go.’ He’s driven to attain some goals. An excellent first day and an incredible first impression so far as on and off the ice.”
The chances are the teen will proceed his college profession at Boston College next season. But he could get a probability to compete in training camp and show the team’s coaching staff and management all of his capabilities. He is probably not distant from winning a spot on the team within the not-too-distant future.