After a day off on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins were back on the ice Wednesday morning at Warrior Ice Arena with two practice groups again. Group B, which will likely end up heading down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) once cuts are finalized went first, with Group A, the likely candidates for a roster spot, going second.
Before Group B took the ice, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reported that Casey Mittlstadt and Viktor Arvidsson were out on the ice working early in the morning. Arvidsson was wearing a red non-contact jersey, which is sometimes common for players not practicing. When Group A took to the ice, another noticeable missing player was Viktor Arvidsson. After practice, first-year head coach Marco Sturm gave an update on both players.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm gives updates to two players who missed practice
Let's be honest, the 2025-26 Boston Bruins are not blessed with a ton of depth this year, and missing anyone from the lineup, no matter where they are, will be tough. However, after practice, Sturm said that Arvidsson was missing because of an illness, and Mittlestadt was dealing with a minor lower-body issue.
Arvidsson played in Monday night's 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at the TD Garden, as did Mittlestadt. Both players missing practice created some interesting lines. Marat Khusnutdinov was moved up to the second line with Pavel Zacha and Matel Blumel, while Boston rolled out a Mikey Eyssimont, Fraser Minten, Matthew Poitras third line. Alex Steeves and Joh Beecher were the extra forwards, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.
The season opener is just seven days away, and the Bruins can't afford injuries to some key players. As will be the case all season long, when someone is missing from a practice, it'll create some nervousness with fans, and understandably so. However, fans can breathe easy, for now.