A little more than halfway through the offseason, some NHL teams have more questions entering the 2026-27 campaign than they would like to have. One of those teams is the Boston Bruins.
General manager Don Sweeney has addressed some, but not all, of his team's needs this offseason. He acquired a top-six goal-scoring wing in JJ Peterka, but he has yet to address the need for a top-six center and a right-shot defenseman. If you consider signing Connor Clifton or trading for Will Borgen from the New York Rangers to fill the position, then I'm not sure what to tell you.
Sweeney has an abundance of defenseman right now, and there need to be some moves before Opening Night on Sept. 29 against the New York Rangers at the TD Garden. Harman Dayal of The Athletic listed seven NHL teams getting stuck in the mushy middle, and surprisingly, the Black and Gold were not listed.
Bruins avoid a list that some believe might have them heading in that direction
Dayal listed the Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, why is it surprising that Boston isn't on this list? Well, they are clearly not a Stanley Cup contender, but they are not a sure-lock postseason team currently constructed. If that's not the mushy middle in the NHL with a core that isn't getting any younger, well, I don't know what is.
So what does it mean going forward? It means that Dayal doesn't believe that the Bruins are in trouble as much as others might think. Are they a playoff team as currently constructed? Given how improved some teams in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference are, most likely not. It's hard to believe that the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals haven't blown by them in terms of talent added to their rosters this offseason to date.
Can more moves still happen before camp and the regular season? Yes, but with each passing day, it feels like it's less and less likely that it will. If the Bruins begin the season with this lineup, are you sure the Black and Gold are not in the mushy middle of the NHL? It feels like it.
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