Frederic Brunet got better as the night went on during the Boston Bruins' first preseason game. It wasn't his best performance, but once he settled into the matchup with the Washington Capitals, he showed great poise in the defensive zone and glimpses of his puck-moving ability. While it wasn't the exact effort he wanted to put forward in his first game, the front office is giving him another chance to prove his worth.
The roster for exhibition No. 2 pic.twitter.com/xpNiCQBptW
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 21, 2026
Since training camp began, Brunet has been joined at the hip with Charlie McAvoy. The veteran has taken the young defenseman under his wing. Still, it seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship, as McAvoy recently compared the young puck-mover to former partner Matt Gryzelcyk. If fans remember, some of McAvoy's best seasons came with his fellow Boston University Terrier on his left side.
It's a pairing fans would like to see come to fruition in the NHL one day, and McAvoy isn't a bad player to tie his worth to if he is looking to make the full-time move to Boston. The partner for the Bruins' best defenseman is an open competition, and if no one else gets a chance to play with him in training camp, Brunet has to have the inside track.
Frederic Brunet's opportunity in second preseason game
Marco Sturm and the front office are giving Brunet an opportunity in the second preseason game that they wouldn't consider if they weren't completely serious about having him start the season in Boston. They could've easily played him alongside McAvoy through camp before trying to sneak him through waivers to start the season, but now they're giving him a chance to prove his worth on his own.
Brunet's opportunity on Tuesday night has two positives. One, if he spent the entire camp with Boston's star blueliner, it would be hard to tell whether Brunet had a great preseason just because of McAvoy. It wouldn't be the first time we've seen a player benefit from playing with him, as Jonathan Aspirot is reaping the benefits of last season's contract extension. He can show against the Philadelphia Flyers that he can do it without playing with one of the league's best.
The second positive is that if Brunet is going to make an impact early in the season, it will have to come without McAvoy anyway. McAvoy's six-game suspension will keep him out for the first two weeks, and they won't sit the 22-year-old in the press box next to him until he returns. If the front office wants him to build chemistry with another regular, he has four to choose from in Tuesday's lineup.
Will Brunet further solidify his spot on the Bruins' roster, or will this opportunity prove to be the one that causes him to fall behind on the depth chart?
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