After opening the preseason with two wins at home over the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers, the Boston Bruins began a quick two-game road trip on Thursday night against the Flyers and Capitals. The last two games are final auditions for some players.
It was a mixture of younger and veteran players once again for second-year head coach Marco Sturm and his staff, but some players were looking to cement their spot on the Opening Night roster against the New York Rangers next Tuesday night at TD Garden. Here are three players who have all but locked up a roster spot out of training camp, and really, none of them should be a surprise.
3 Boston Bruins who have cemented a spot on the Opening Night roster
Michael DiPietro
Yes, I know, this isn't really breaking any news, but Michael DiPietro has more than locked up the backup spot behind Jeremy Swayman. The top netminder in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins for the last two seasons was a big reason why Sweeney traded Joonas Koprisalo to the Rangers on July 1.
Truth be told, Sweeney couldn't afford another situation where the Bruins lose a young goalie as they did with Brandon Bussi last year, who went on to be the backbone of the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup last spring, if Korpisalo remained. It was time for everyone to move on, and now Bussi has waited and earned his spot in the NHL. He will get more starts this season after a strong two showings against Washington and Philadelphia.
James Hagens
Again, we're not breaking any news here, but if there were any questions about James Hagens entering camp and the preseason games, those were answered and then some. The seventh overall pick of the 2025 Entry Draft was one of the better forwards against the Capitals on Sunday night and against the Flyers on Thursday night.
Hagens, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Fraser Minten have been kept together in camp and in the first preseason game. However, Hagens played in Philadelphia without either of his linemates and still stood out and played well. James Hagens is here and ready to make an impact beginning this season.
Frederic Brunet
There are questions surrounding the defense this season, and a six-game suspension for Charlie McAvoy to begin the season is big. That opens up a roster spot for one more blueliner. There is no shortage of choices, but youngster Frederic Brunet has been very good in the preseason games.
It will be fascinating to see how things play out in terms of who does and who doesn't make the roster. There are going to be some decisions with players like Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, and Jonathan Aspirot, but none of those have been better than Brunet.
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