The Boston Bruins players reported to Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday, with the first on-ice workouts scheduled for Thursday. There will be two different groups taking the ice for second-year head coach Marco Sturm.
Early Wednesday afternoon, Sturm and general manager Don Sweeney met with the media to discuss the upcoming campaign, which they hope will end with a second straight Stanley Cup Playoff berth. They both touched on several different subjects, and here are three takeaways from what they had to say.
3 Bruins takeaways from Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney's preseason press conference
Bruins will name a captain before Opening Night
After both Sweeney and Sturm gave their opening statements, Sweeney took the microphone before the first question was asked and said that the Bruins are going to name a captain for the 2026-27 season. That was a little bit surprising after yesterday's photo shoot had David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm each having an "A" on their jerseys.
As for who it'll be, that will be the question that everyone will be waiting patiently for by the end of camp. The clear choice is Pastrnak or McAvoy, with most fans believing that it should be Pastrnak. We'll see how things end up shaking out.
Bruins still see Pavel Zacha as key piece of the future
Center Pavel Zacha enters the season in the final year of his current contract, and there hasn't been an extension. Sweeney was asked about Zacha and where things stand, and he said that Zacha is a big part of what they are trying to accomplish and win. Great, but it doesn't sound like anything is getting anywhere close to being done.
Whether it's there can't be common ground with an AAV, length, or anything else holding things up, the longer he plays unsigned, the more it feels like he'll be traded by the deadline or walk in free agency. The latter would be devastating to the Black and Gold.
Don Sweeney was noncommittal on Chris Kreider
Last week, when the Anaheim Ducks placed veteran forward Chris Kreider on waivers to allow him to become a free agent, the Bruins were a potential landing spot for the Massachusetts native. He wanted to come back to the East and be closer to his family.
However, when asked about it on Wednesday and whether the Bruins reached out and had conversations with Kreider and his reps, Sweeney didn't comment, which is standard for players under contract with other teams after he signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Kreider signing with the Canadiens over the Bruins, if they were even in conversations about him joining them, shows how far away Boston is from being a contender.
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