3 Bruins Who Need A Bounce-Back Season

The Boston Bruins will be looking to prove their critics wrong during the 2025-26 season. There are naturally many who feel that they will not be a playoff team because of how poorly this past campaign went for them. Yet, now that the Bruins have made multiple additions to their roster this summer, it will be fascinating to see if they can turn things back around next season.

If the Bruins hope to get back to being a competitive club next season, they are going to need a few of their important players to perform better than they did during the 2024-25 campaign. Due to this, let's now take a look at three notable Bruins who need to have bounce-back years with the Original Six club during the 2025-26 season.

Jeremy Swayman is easily the Bruins' most notable bounce-back candidate heading into the 2025-26 season. With the Bruins trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators this past off-season, Swayman became the Bruins' true No. 1 goaltender, and he struggled to adjust to the role significantly. In 58 games with the Bruins during 2024-25 season, Swayman posted a 22-29-7 record, a .892 save percentage, and a 3.11 goals-against average. He also allowed a career-high 176 goals on the year, so it was simply a brutal season for the 26-year-old goaltender.

If the Bruins hope to turn things around next season, they will certainly need Swayman to have a bounce-back year. He certainly has the potential to have one, as he was excellent in each of his first four seasons with the Bruins. Just back during the 2023-24 season with the Bruins, for example, he had a 25-10-8 record, a .916 save percentage, and a 2.53 goals-against average. Due to his impressive play, he was named to the NHL All-Star Game that season. He also memorably thrived during the 2024 post-season, as he had a .933 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average in 12 games.

Swayman also won the William M. Jennings Trophy with Ullmark during the 2022-23 season. In 37 games during that season, Swayman had a 24-6-4 record, a 2.27 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. Given the success Swayman had during his previous seasons, he is certainly standing out as a prime bounce-back candidate for the Bruins next season. Yet, if he does not turn things around, the Bruins will be in serious trouble.

Elias Lindholm is another notable Bruin who will be looking to put together a bounce-back season during the 2025-26 campaign. After signing a seven-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $7.75 million this past off-season, Lindholm had an underwhelming first season with the Bruins. In 82 games with the Bruins on the year, he recorded 17 goals, 47 points, and a minus-4 rating.

Lindholm's struggles to produce offense led to him spending a chunk of the season as the Bruins' third-line center. When noting that the Bruins expected him to be a true answer for their first-line center spot, this was certainly concerning to see. However, what's encouraging about Lindholm is that his play as the season went on improved noticeably when he was moved back up to the first line. In his last seven appearances of the 2024-25 season, he recorded four goals, nine points, and a plus-11 rating.

If Lindholm can replicate the way he finished the 2024-25 campaign to next season, it would be massive for the Bruins. He has shown during the past that he can be a very good two-way center, and the Bruins will be hoping that he can be just that for them next season from here .

Bruins newcomer Viktor Arvidsson certainly had a down year with the Edmonton Oilers this past season. After signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Oilers during the 2024 NHL off-season, he recorded 15 goals, 12 assists, and 27 points in 67 games. Arvidsson's offensive production was certainly lower than in previous seasons, and he simply had trouble fitting into the Oilers' system. Now that he has a clean slate with the Bruins, he certainly could put together a bounce-back season with the Bruins during the 2025-26 season.

Arvidsson's resume screams that he can turn things back around. The veteran forward has scored at least 20 goals five times during his career, so he has proven that he can be a very solid scorer when playing at his best. He has also recorded at least 48 points on five different occasions, which includes posting 26 goals and 59 points in 77 games with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2022-23 season.

Ultimately, Arvidsson needed a change of scenery, and he has now gotten just that with the Bruins. When noting that he should have a spot in the Bruins' top six next season, he is certainly one of the top bounce-back candidates to keep an eye on from the Original Six club's roster.