Going into the 2025-26 season, the Boston Bruins are one big unknown. After an offseason that didn't really cause many major shakeups with a "retool", they begin training camp in a couple of weeks with more questions than answers.
If things don't turn around under first-year head coach Marco Sturm, then changes could be coming for the Black and Gold. As they look ahead to a new season, it feels like some Bruins' players could be entering their final year donning the Spoked-B, even if they are still under contract beyond this year. Here are three Boston Bruins players who are beginning their final season with the organization.
Casey Mittlestadt
Acquired from the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline as part of a deal that sent forward Charlie Coyle to the Mile High City, Casey Mittelstadt is a player who is reportedly drawing trade interest. He has two years remaining with a cap hit of $5.75 million, but if a shakeup occurs, he might be in the middle of it. It feels as if it comes down to Mittlestadt or Pavel Zacha, Boston would prefer to keep the latter.
Boston has a roster that has a lot of middle-six centers on it, and they are still missing the top-line center they have been seeking since Patrice Bergeron retired. Right now, Mittlestadt would project as Boston's second-line center, but there is also an influx of young center talent that appears to push the lineup. Matthew Poitras and Fraser Minten making an impact this year would certainly help for the future. Colorado overpaid for Mittlestadt, and it feels like general manager Don Sweeney is looking to get out of the deal. It would be very surprising if he plays the final year of his contract with the Black and Gold.
Joonas Korpisalo
Something has to happen between the pipes as Jeremy Swayman's backup, and if Michael DiPietro can solidify that position in camp, trading Joonas Korpisalo and his $3 million cap hit is a no-brainer. It's still head-scratching that Sweeney acquired him from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Linus Ullmark trade.
Korpisalo made his intentions clear at the end of last year and during his exit media scrum following the end of the season that he wants to play more. It's just not going to happen with a healthy Swayman. Having $11.25 million locked up in goal with that duo, even with the cap going up, is too much money tied up in a position where only one guy can play. Someone will be desperate for a goalie, and moving Korpisalo is the move to make.
John Beecher
I mean, there is a big log jam with the bottom-six forward grouping after Sweeney's free agent additions, and there are going to be some players who find themselves on the outside looking in. A free-agent this summer, John Beecher was brought back on a one-year deal and it feels like the former University of Michigan standout is in a make it or break it season.
A solid penalty-killer and good at the faceoff dot, Beecher adds speed to the lineup, but with the veterans brought in, it's going to be difficult for him to lock down a spot in camp. It's hard to give up on first-round picks, especially when you don't have a lot of them, but this feels evident when the dust settles.