Ex-Senator will have immense pressure for Bruins' 2025-26 season

For the first three seasons of his NHL career, Mark Kastelic played for the Ottawa Senators from 2021-2024. During those three seasons, Kastelic recorded 25 points in 144 games.

In June 2024, Kastelic's tenure in Ottawa ended when he was traded away with Joonas Korpisalo and a 2024 first-round draft pick for Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins. Being traded to Boston offered as a fresh start for Kastelic.

After four games into the 2024-25 season, Kastelic was hot with recording five points for the Bruins. Kastelic recorded two multi-point games, and appeared as a player who can thrive in Boston after being traded away by Ottawa, but the rest of the season was a struggle. Now, the ex-Senator will need to turn his tenure around in Boston desperately at 26 years old.

Kastelic had cold finish to 2024-25 season; Bruins will need him bad for 2025-26

When Kastelic was hot to start the season early in October, he was at one point tied for the most points on the Bruins roster. Then, Kastelic finished the 2024-25 season with recording 14 points in 61 games.

The Bruins saw cold stretches from Kastelic badly in 2024-25. After finishing October with seven points, Kastelic recorded zero points in 13 games in November. Kastelic gained some confidence back when he recorded four points in December, but 2025 was a deep struggle.

In 2025, Kastelic recorded just three points while playing in 23 games before missing the Bruins' final 12 games of the season due to an upper-body injury. During 2025 before getting injured, the struggles for Kastelic were rough.

Kastelic recorded just two assists in January, then recorded zero points in February, to then scoring just one goal in March. The goal that Kastelic scored in March helped him end a 22-game goal drought.

Kastelic's struggles in 2024-25 helped the Senators win the Ullmark trade after one season when Kastelic, Korpisalo and the Bruins finished last in the Atlantic Division, and the Senators made the 2025 playoffs with Ullmark being a key piece on the roster.

Moving forward with Kastelic, the Bruins will have to be cautious about his contract. Kastelic will have a $1.56 million cap hit per year until 2028. With the way Kastelic had struggles after October and his season ending injury, the Bruins could face uncertainty with Kastelic down the road.

One season after trading away Kastelic, the Senators appeared to have made the right move by trading him. The Senators were able to make up Kastelic's production on the fourth line with Michael Amadio, Nick Cousins and Adam Gaudette in 2024-25.

Although Gaudette left the Senators and signed a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks, the Senators did sign Lars Eller to get the fourth line production back. Cousins also re-signed with the Senators this free agency as well.

The Senators will be eager to return to the playoffs again in 2026. Meanwhile, the Bruins will need to find their way to not finish last in the division for the second consecutive year. Kastelic will need to turn into an underappreciated player for the Bruins like he did early in October, but his 2025 play could be a concern that could carry over into 2025-26.