Given how this past season went for the Boston Bruins, it is understandable that many have their doubts about the Original Six club heading into the 2025-26 season. This is especially so when noting that they traded away several former core players at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, including Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic.
While there are certainly things to be concerned about when it comes to the Bruins heading into 2025-26, there should also be some optimism when it comes to this club. There are reasons to believe that they could be more competitive during the 2025-26 season, so let's take a look at a handful of them now.
One big reason why the Bruins should feel some optimism heading into the 2025-26 season is their new head coach Marco Sturm. Sometimes, a coaching change can provide a much-needed spark to a team, and that certainly could be the case with a former Bruin like Sturm now behind the bench for the Original Six club.
Sturm's coaching resume should also create some excitement among Bruins fans. While this is his first NHL head coaching job, he has worked as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings from 2019-20 to 2021-22 and then was the head coach of the Ontario Reign from 2022-23 to 2024-25. During this time, he helped several young Kings players with their development, and he certainly should do the same for the Bruins. Thus, Sturm being behind the Bruins' bench should create some excitement for a Bruins team that needed a new voice behind the bench.
A major reason why the Bruins found themselves near the bottom portion of the standings was because of their injury trouble. This was especially the case when it came to their blueline, as Hampus Lindholm's season came to an end on Nov. 12 after he suffered a fractured patella from blocking a shot from St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. The Bruins then lost Charlie McAvoy for the season after he suffered a serious shoulder injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
With McAvoy and Lindholm being the Bruins' two top defensemen, it is easy to understand why they had serious struggles with both of them out. Getting these two blueliners back next season should help them out tremendously, as they will provide them with far more stability on the backend.
While the Bruins did not necessarily add a big-name star like many fans were hoping for, they did improve their overall depth. Among their newcomers are Viktor Arvidsson, Sean Kuraly, Michael Eyssimont, Tanner Jeannot, Jordan Harris, Alex Steeves, and Matej Blumel. Overall, this is a nice mix of proven NHLers and intriguing young players looking to take that next step.
With this, there is certainly a chance that at least a few of these players will make a positive impact for the Bruins next season. Arvidsson should get top-six minutes, while players like Kuraly, Eyssimont, and Jeannot should boost their bottom six. Harris should work well as the Bruins' seventh defenseman, given his experience and ability to play both sides. As for Steeves and Blumel, these two could make a push for NHL spots because of their success in the AHL over the last few years.
Overall, the new guys certainly give the Bruins some interesting options to work with, and Boston's depth should be stronger in 2025-26 because of it.
Yes, there is no question that Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman had a rough 2024-25 season, posting a 22-29-7 record, a .892 save percentage, and a 3.11 goals-against average. It certainly played a major role in the Bruins having such a poor campaign in 2024-25, but there is clear reason to believe that Swayman can get things back on track with the Original Six club next season
Swayman was nothing short of excellent over his first four seasons with the Bruins, and it would not be surprising if he bounced back in a big way next season because of it. Just back during the 2023-24 season with the Bruins, he had a 25-10-8 record, a .916 save percentage, a 2.53 goals-against average, and three shutouts in 44 appearances. Furthermore, at just 26 years old, he has already been named to the All-Star Game and won the William M. Jennings Trophy.
When looking at Swayman's past success, he undoubtedly has the potential to be better for the Bruins during the 2025-26 season. This is especially so when noting that he does not need to deal with the heavy distractions of contract negotiations this off-season, as he did leading up to the 2024-25 campaign. Instead, Swayman now gets to spend the off-season solely focusing on hockey, and this could benefit him big time.
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