Going into the 2026-27 season, the Boston Bruins feel like an unknown. The offseason roster moves don't feel like they moved the needle for the upcoming season. Despite acquiring right wing JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth, they still need a top-six center and a top-four right-shot defenseman.
After making a surprise run to the playoffs as the first Eastern Conference wild card last spring, the Black and Gold feel like a team that is due for a big regression this upcoming season. There are several reasons for that, but FanDuel Sports thinks that Boston's regression is going to be a big one.
Bruins FanDuel odds have fans facing a tough reality
How tough are things potentially going to be in Marco Sturm's second season behind the Boston bench/ Let's just get right to the point. FanDuel has the Bruins at +3500 to win the Atlantic Division, which is the worst odds. That's right, the worst odds in the division to win it. They are even worse odds than the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings. Yikes.
What are the Bruins' odds of missing the playoffs? Those aren't promising-looking, too. They are -400 to miss the postseason, the worst odds in the Eastern Conference. The only teams worse than them are from the Western Conference and include the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken.
We're not even going to get into any more of the odds, as the picture is quite clear. The Bruins are going to find it very difficult to make the postseason next season. Part of the problem is that teams in the division and conference have gotten better while the Bruins, on paper, haven't.
Asking some of the young players to repeat the seasons they had last season is a tall ask. Losing Viktor Arvidsson is going to be an under-the-radar loss if nobody steps up to replace his production. Sure, acquiring Peterka is a nice addition if he can have a bounce-back season, but watching Arvidsson with the Red Wings for $5 million, a number the Black and Gold could have done, was tough if you're a fan.
Sturm had arguably the top second line in the NHL last season with Arvidsson, Casey Mittlestadt, and Pavel Zacha. Breaking that up by letting Arvidsson walk in free agency to Detroit was certainly a decision. Adding Peterka and retaining Arvidsson if you're getting another top-six forward would not have been a bad move to make.
A lot of NHL teams are facing questions entering the 2026-27 season, but if there is a regression candidate from last season as a team, it's the Bruins. The odds even say the Toronto Maple Leafs are better, which is concerning if you're a Bruins fan.
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