The 2025-26 Boston Bruins surprised everyone with their 45-27-10 record, totaling 100 points and grabbing a wild card spot in a loaded Eastern Conference. The conference isn't going to get any easier this season, especially in the Atlantic Division, but the Bruins also haven't gotten any worse. With all that in mind, why is the team being so undervalued?
The oddsmakers currently have the Bruins' over/under on regular season points at 87.5. They expect Boston to drop 13 points after their 100-point season, which seems like a bit of a stretch. The team may not have quite as good a year, but expecting this roster to get considerably worse might be just wishful thinking from the experts.
The Bruins return the core of Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy, and hope McAvoy stays healthy compared to 2025-26. They also added JJ Peterka to help the offense, which is an upgrade over the departed Viktor Arvidsson, no matter how well he played last season.
The expectation is that Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, and James Hagens will take another step this season, while Will Borgen and the return of Connor Clifton could add a bit more stability to the blue line. The Bruins should have a better roster this season compared to last, as long as the players perform up to expectations.
The Bruins will be in the mix in the Eastern Conference.
I would project that five playoff teams will come from the Atlantic Division this season. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens will battle for the division again, while the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators could take a step back after losing Alex Tuch and Brady Tkachuk, respectively.
The Florida Panthers will be on the rise again after a season to recover from their three trips to the Stanley Cup Final and the addition of Tkachuk. Experts also project the Toronto Maple Leafs to bounce back, which might be a bit more of a stretch than the Panthers. If the Canadiens, Lightning, Panthers, and Maple Leafs take the top four spots, that leaves the Bruins, Sabres, and Senators to fight for that fifth spot.
The Bruins could be better than the Maple Leafs again this season and take the fourth spot in the Atlantic and the first wild card, or they could fall behind two of the contending wild card teams and not make the playoffs. It's going to be a battle all season, but everyone saying the Bruins aren't going to be one of the teams in the mix seems a bit short-sighted.
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