When the 2025-26 Boston Bruins season began, how many people that them making the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Not many outside of the locker room. Once the season started and the struggles through the first month of the season subsided, and they made it to the New Year at a decent pace, things turned around, and Boston was the first Eastern Conference wild-card team.
At the end of the season, it was made clear by the front office that the roster needed upgrades, and now that we're less than a month away from training camp, well, it doesn't feel like the necessary additions have been made. With that said, let's predict what the Bruins' floor and ceiling will be in 2026-27.
Boston Bruins 2026-27 ceiling
This one is tough. One reason why it's so tough is that the rest of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference have gotten so much better. Right now, FanDuel has the Black and Gold finishing in the basement of the division. The only notable additions have been JJ Peterka in the top-six and Will Borgen on defense. Also gone is backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo, traded to the New York Rangers.
If this is the roster going into the season for Sturm, then the ceiling is going to be less than what it ended up being last season: the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. If it is going to be higher than that, then some of the younger players are really going to have to step up. Jeremy Swayman is going to have to live up to his No. 5 NHL Network ranking this summer, and health is going to be key. Can Elias Lindholm make it through the season fully healthy? Can James Hagens and Matthew Poitras carve out helpful full-time roles? So many questions, so few answers.
With all of that being said, the ceiling for the Bruins this upcoming season is the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
Boston Bruins 2026-27 floor
Oh boy, the floor. Honestly, this could end up anywhere this season. If there is a year where the lack of moves in an offseason- or should I say, lack of impactful moves- this is the one that could sink the Bruins ship. Are they a contender? No. Could they bomb out and finish near the bottom of the conference? Yes. Could they finish somewhere in between? Yes.
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Again, the problem is that the rest of the conference and division, for the most part, have gotten better while the Bruins basically swapped out Peterka for Viktor Arvidsson and Borgen for Andrew Peeke. It just doesn't feel like there is enough offense on the roster. Sooner or later, Morgan Geekie is going to come back to earth, right?
With all of that said, the Bruins' floor this season is the basement of the Eastern Conference and a high lottery pick in next June's draft.
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