Seven games into the 2025-26 season, the Boston Bruins are struggling to score. That's not really a surprise as it was almost a given with the moves made by general manager Don Sweeney over the offseason. The additions in free agency were to build the bottom-six to be harder to play against.
Viktor Arvidsson, acquired on July 1 from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade, has been a big disappointment so far and has not given the Bruins anything. It feels like there needs to some lineup changes to inject some potential offense into in. That would require some transactions from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). Here are three forwards who deserve a shot to be called up and enter the Boston lineup.
Matthew Poitras
The one player in Providence with the most NHL experience is Matthew Poitras. He has played in 66 regular-season games for the Black and Gold with six goals and 20 assists. In four games with the P-Bruins, he has five assists this year.
He brings speed and good vision of the ice to the table. He wouldn't be counted on to fill up the net with goals, but he is a playmaker who they are lacking in the middle of their lineup now. He plays a very good two-way game and has shown flashes of being a full-time NHL player. He can play on the wing and up the middle with Marco Sturm's flexibility.
Fabian Lysell
When cuts were made, Fabian Lysell was not happy and made it known. He played in 12 games last year with one goal and three points, showing some flashes. He is off to a fast start with Providence with three goals and three assists in four games.
Boston's 2021 first-round pick has gone to Providence and had a hot start to the season, sending a message to the Bruins front office. He could have gone down there and done the opposite, but he's proving he deserves to be called up. He is relentless on the forecheck and is due to breakout scoring.
Matej Blumel
Sweeney signed Blumel this offseason after the Dallas Stars organization let him go. A fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2019 Entry Draft, he was a scoring machine for the Texas Stars, Dallas' AHL affiliate, for the last two years. He scored 39 last year to go along with 33 assists.
The 25-year-old had a goal in seven games last year for Dallas, but he looked well early in the preseason with the Bruins before tailing off. There is offensive firepower there with him, and like Lysell, he's off to a scorching start with the P-Bruins with two goals and six points. He began camp in the top six and even got some power play work.
Would bringing up any of these prospects be the answer to what Boston needs? Who knows, but if there is one thing we've learned about the first seven games, it's worth a shot.