After a long offseason that didn't really have the change that Boston Bruins fans were hoping for, the 2025-26 season begins for the Black and Gold in Washington against the Capitals on Wednesday night. One year after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Boston is hoping to return with a roster that was retooled over the offseason.
The first game of the season also begins the Marco Sturm era in Boston as the head coach. The former Bruins forward has introduced a new system that his team will look to play and have enough success to surprise when all is said and done.
As the season is set to begin, let's take a look at the projected lines from the Daily Faceoff for the Bruins this year, along with some predictions.
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Morgan Geekie | Elias Lindholm | David Pastrnak |
Pavel Zacha | Casey Littlestadt | Viktor Arvidsson |
Tanner Jennot | Fraser Minten | Michael Eyssimont |
Marat Khusnutdinov | Sean Kuraly | Mark Kastelic |
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Mason Lohrei | Charlie McAvoy |
Hampus Lindholm | Andrew Peeke |
Nikita Zadorov | Henri Jokiharju |
Goalies |
|---|
Jeremy Swayman |
Joonas Korpisalo |
How many points will the Bruins end up with?
Predicted Points: 87
Last year, the Bruins finished with 71 points, tied for last place in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers. If Boston is to improve this season, they will need Jeremy Swayman to have a big bounce-back season in goal. It will also help that Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm return fully healthy after having their season cut short last year with injuries.
Reaching that point total will also require the Bruins to get some depth scoring behind Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak. That was not addressed as much as Boston would have liked this season, and they are banking on Viktor Arvidsson providing some of that after he was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers.
If Boston is going to get to this number, they will need a lot of overtime games and picking up several loser points. Eighty-eight points will be on the cusp of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot, where a lot of people envision them ending up.
Where will the Bruins finish against the Atlantic Division?
Predicted Finish: 6th place
Once again, the Atlantic Division is going to be loaded with contenders. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers lead the way, while the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs are also primed for a big season.
As for the rest of the division, the Ottawa Senators, after acquiring Linus Ullmark, passed the Bruins to make the playoffs, while the Montreal Canadiens had a strong finish to the season to grab a wild-card spot in the East. It feels like a six through eight in the division of Boston, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Buffalo Sabres is what we're in store for this year.
Player to watch
There are a lot of options for this, but there are going to be a lot of eyes on Morgan Geekie, who has had two career years since coming over in free agency from the Seattle Kraken. He exploded for 33 last year and got a nice payday this summer from GM Don Sweeney. Now he'll be looked upon to produce again this year and just how much.
He'll play on a line with Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak. Elias Lindholm is healthy after playing through an injury last year, and you know what you're going to get from Pastrnak. This line will be a key to the Bruins' success they have this year.
Prospect to watch
The one prospect to survive camp is Fraser Minten. Acquired from the Maple Leafs last year as part of the Brandon Carlo trade, Minten impressed Sturm in camp and earned a roster spot. Right now, he's slotted as the third-line center, which is the perfect spot in the lineup for him. He impressed as time went on in Boston late last season, following the trade, and he proved he belongs.
Why fans can be cautiously optimistic
One reason why fans should be cautiously optimistic is that expectations are not all that high entering the season. Most predictions have the Bruins missing the playoffs, so if they can get in, then it would be a surprise. For that to happen, they would need huge bounce-back seasons from a number of players, stay healthy, and have other teams not meet expectations this year.
Another lost season as they had last year would certainly feel like another year wasted of some of the core players in their prime. Inside the walls of the locker room, that might not sit well. The month of October is difficult with several contenders and good teams on the schedule, so getting off on the right foot is going to be huge.