There has been very little roster turnover for the Boston Bruins this offseason. It was expected that there would be more than what general manager Don Sweeney has done. He addressed only one of their three biggest offseason needs by acquiring JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth back in June.
It is just over a month until the puck drops on the 2026-27 season for the Black and Gold against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. What could the lines look like for second-year coach Marco Sturm? Is there another move coming before or during training camp? Given the current state of the roster, here are the ideal lines for Sept. 29 against the Rangers.
1st line: JJ Peterka, Pavel Zacha, David Pastrnak
There are a couple of ways this could go in terms of the center, but Pavel Zacha is the best option to begin the season as the top pivot. He excelled last season on the second line with Casey Mittlestadt and Viktor Arvidsson, but the latter left in free agency over the summer for the Detroit Red Wings.
Elias Lindholm would have to have a huge training camp and show that he's 100% healthy to slide into this spot. He is better off being served down further in the lineup. Zacha should be motivated going into a contract year and the addition of Peterka should give the top six a bump in production if everything goes well.
2nd line: Morgan Geekie, Fraser Minten, James Hagens
Judging by the lack of offseason moves by Sweeney this offseason, the Bruins are banking on Fraser Minten moving up into the top six. He would inject speed and a good faceoff pivot for this line. As he showed last season, he's ready to make the jump in the lineup; now it's just a matter of him grabbing the horns and running it.
Morgan Geekie is a no-brainer for this line, but the name we'd like to see here is James Hagens, making the jump in his first pro season. Last season, he got a taste of it at the end of the regular season and in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres, playing in three games before sitting the final three. Eventually, his spot in the lineup is going to be at center, but for now, he'll grab a wing position out of camp.
3rd line: Casey Mittlestadt, Elias Lindholm, Marat Khusnutdinov
Yes, you're reading this right: Elias Lindholm, making $7.75 million as a third-line center? Yes, that's where the expectations are at this point. If Sweeney could move on from this contract, he would, but nobody is taking that off his hands.
As for Mittlestadt, moving him down will be because Hagens is making the jump to the second line. Marat Khusnutdinov is someone who would remain on the third line and would provide speed and energy to the line with a pair of veterans.
4th line: Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Mark Kastelic
This line might be the hardest to call. Tanner Jeannot had a good first season with the Bruins, and Kuraly is a perfect fourth-line center for this team. He is someone else who could be moved to clear a roster spot, but that remains unlikely at this point. Mark Kastelic provides the grit that is needed.
Other options are Alex Steeves, Mikey Eyssimont, Lukas Reichel, and potentially Matthew Poitras fighting for that spot if he signs a contract.
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