One question going into the 2026-27 NHL season for the Boston Bruins is whether they are good enough to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season. They were a huge surprise to make the postseason last winter after finishing with 100 points and in the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
They were dispatched in the first round of the playoffs by the Buffalo Sabres, the Atlantic Division winner. Imagine typing that at this time last season: the Buffalo Sabres, Atlantic Division champs. Good for Western New York and the NHL. They need the Sabres to be relevant again.
However, there were some offseason changes for the Black and Gold, but are they good enough to compete with the iron in the Eastern Conference? Heck, even in the division? Here are the key changes: leaving Boston are Viktor Arvidsson (free agency) and Joonas Korpisalo (trade), with JJ Peterka (trade) and Will Borgen (trade) coming in. They are also bringing back defenseman Connor Clifton. Will that be good enough in the end?
Bruins face a daunting task to remain in the Atlantic Division race
One thing that Boston will have to deal with that they didn't have to last season is a much better and deeper Atlantic Division. In fact, you could say the same for the Eastern Conference. The Florida Panthers missed the postseason last season, but they won't this season after a slew of moves. The Sabres will be good, as will the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.
As for the conference, the Metropolitan Division teams should be better, including the Washington Capitals, who made some big additions for Alex Ovechkin in what could be his final season. Anthony Trudeau of the Daily Faceoff has thinks holding down fourth place in the division could be tough, despite the offseason moves.
"Swapping Arvidsson, a very good player in his own right, out for Peterka, replacing Korpisalo with DiPietro, and letting Peeke walk while trading for Borgen should be enough to make the Bruins a better team, if only just. The gulf between Boston’s performance and its results last season, though, means they’d have to become much better to hold serve as the fourth-placed team in the lions’ den that is the Atlantic Division,'' wrote Trudeau.
The problem that will be facing the Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney is that the rest of the division and conference, except for a handful of teams, got better, and the Bruins, if anything, stood pat.
"The Florida Panthers stunk last year, remember, and since that will never happen again, one of the Atlantic’s five playoff berths, an unstable luxury in and of itself, is as good as gone. Swayman, McAvoy, and Pastrnak are talented enough to keep the Black and Gold in the mushy middle, at least. Whether the Bruins finish sixth or as low as last in their division could depend on how much Sweeney thinks a mid-year transition to tanking will affect his job security,'' added Trudeau.
That last sentence was interesting, bringing up Sweeney's job security. Some see him as someone who will survive no matter what happens, while others might see him as someone who might not. His future might very well be in the hands of his team, and that can be dangerous when everyone else got better and the Bruins really didn't. This is shaping up to be an interesting season.
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