Frederic Brunet entered the Boston Bruins' training camp with one goal: make the opening-night roster. Considering it's his first year facing waivers if he doesn't make the team, the organization shares that goal for Brunet. The good news is they are putting him in every position to succeed, as he started Day 1 of training camp alongside Charlie McAvoy.
While some saw this as a potential pairing and a clear sign Brunet will make the team, I saw it differently: McAvoy's Day 1 role is to make the most of a short camp, not confirm Brunet's opening-night spot. With limited time for the roster to build chemistry, it wouldn't make much sense for McAvoy to stay in an opening-night pairing throughout camp, since he'll miss the first six games with a suspension.
Brunet on being paired with McAvoy:
— Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) September 17, 2026
“I found out probably 30 minutes before practice, it was a pretty good feeling honestly. Especially on the first day, you’re pretty nervous, and then you see you’re playing with McAvoy, one of the top three defensemen in the NHL.”
“We had… pic.twitter.com/bkMuPwO3ok
This feels like a chance for the Bruins to catch lightning in a bottle and find their first pairing of the future. Brunet's ceiling is limitless after a ton of growth in the AHL, and he'd have no bigger fan than McAvoy if he could find a place alongside him this season. But his Day 1 pairing certainly doesn't guarantee him anything. The takeaway is that the pairing is promising, but it is not a certainty.
Asked Sturm about Frederic Brunet and starting him in camp with Charlie McAvoy:
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 17, 2026
"As a coaching staff, we always talk after every practice ... we all thought Brunet had a pretty good day. Skating pretty good. ... It was nice to see." pic.twitter.com/ZsIXBLHVHW
The good news for fans is that Brunet is learning from the best the Bruins have throughout camp, and if they look great together, there's a path to making it a pairing in the future. With McAvoy out for the first six games, the Bruins could still roster Brunet as the seventh defenseman, give him time to adjust to the NHL, and make room for him and McAvoy in the lineup once the six games are up.
Bruins' potential opening-night defense pairings
While fans shouldn't have looked too far into the forward lines on Day 1, there is a path to see what Sturm may be thinking on the backend. With McAvoy out and mentoring Brunet throughout camp, three Day 1 pairings could make their way into the first lineup.
Hampus Lindholm and Will Borgen are likely the first pairing in McAvoy's absence, and they played together throughout Group B's session. The moment Connor Clifton re-signed with the Bruins, people started to think about a physical shutdown pairing alongside Nikita Zadorov, and they look like a potential second pairing behind Lindholm and Borgen after Day 1.
Rounding out the lineup could be Jonathan Aspirot and Mason Lohrei, who played together in a pairing that featured Lohrei on the right side. Don Sweeney has already spoken about Lohrei's flexibility there, and it seems they have him penciled in to play in that role at times this season.
That leaves Jordan Harris and Henri Jokiharju as the odd men out, which makes sense in the early days of camp. Sturm could have Brunet in a seventh-defenseman role for opening night, and let the rest of the chips fall as they may.
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