A month before training camp opens at Warrior Ice Arena, the Bruins are staring at a roster that looks awfully familiar - and that’s exactly why there’s some unease around it. Boston is still piecing together its 2026-27 opening night group, but if this is close to the finished product, it may not be enough to get back to the playoffs.
The reason is simple enough: the rest of the conference has improved, while Don Sweeney appears set to mostly run back a roster that was used in the first round last spring before the Bruins were knocked out in six games by the Buffalo Sabres. The changes have been relatively small.
Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peeke are gone in free agency, and Boston added JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth. That’s the backdrop for the Bruins’ projected opener on Sept. 29 against the New York Rangers.
Up front, the shape of the lineup still feels like last season’s Bruins, with Peterka as the new face in the mix. Matthew Poitras is one of the notable names left out of this projection, while Alex Steeves and Mikey Eyssimont also don’t make the cut.
Poitras’ situation is still unresolved, and Steeves and Eyssimont look like major wild cards entering the year. A trade is possible.
So is a spot as extra forwards. But barring a rash of injuries, more ice time than they got last season seems unlikely.
On defense, the first few weeks of the season carry an obvious wrinkle: Charlie McAvoy is suspended for the first six games after his slash on Zach Benson at the end of Game 6 last spring. That leaves Boston leaning hard on the available blue-liners, and the outlook is not exactly reassuring.
Borgen is expected to jump right into the top four and even up to a top pairing without McAvoy. Lohrei is headed into a critical season if he sticks around, and asking Aspirot to repeat last season’s performance may be too much to expect.
In goal, there’s no mystery. Jeremy Swayman is still the clear starter, and Boston’s offseason move on July 1 helped settle the backup job.
Sweeney sent Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers, opening the door for prospect Michael DiPietro to back up Swayman this season. It was a move made to keep Boston from losing DiPietro this fall.
If he had been exposed to waivers and sent to Providence with the P-Bruins in the American Hockey League, he likely would not have made it there. Sweeney was clearly trying to avoid a repeat of last offseason’s Brandon Bussi situation.
In Other News...
Bruins Suddenly Have A Backup Goalie Battle Behind Swayman
Joonas Korpisalos move to the New York Rangers left the Bruins with an open lane behind Jeremy Swayman, and it has quickly turned into one of the more interesting early camp questions for Boston. Michael DiPietro has put himself in position to claim the job after standing out in the AHL, and the organization now has a real decision to make on who will dress as the No. 2 goalie when the season begins.
Jiri Patera, signed recently to a two-way contract, adds another layer to the competition and gives Boston a second option to weigh against DiPietro. The Bruins are expected to use training camp to sort it out, which means the backup role is not likely to be handed out on reputation alone. For a team that wants stability behind Swayman, this is one of the quieter battles worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Marchand Update Brings Back A Tough Bruins Reality
Brad Marchands latest injury update landed with a familiar sting for Bruins fans, because it brings back an uncomfortable reminder of how much his body has been through in recent years. The veteran forward said he underwent surgery for a lower-body injury, and the issue is believed to involve both his hip and a sports hernia, two areas that can make even a routine return to form a drawn-out process. For a player who has long been at the center of Bostons identity, any medical update involving Marchand inevitably carries bigger significance than just one roster note.
The timing only adds to the uncertainty. Marchands recovery could keep him sidelined for about two months, which would put his status for Opening Night in doubt and leave another gap in a Bruins lineup that has already had to adapt to his absences before. He had double hip surgery in 2022, and while he remains a major figure in the rivalry picture between Boston and Florida, this latest setback is another tough reminder that the road back for an aging star is rarely straightforward. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Just Lost Three Prospects As One Future Question Lingers
Three Bruins prospects have now hit the end of their signing window, closing the book on a trio of different development paths the organization had been tracking. Philip Svedebck, Oskar Jellvik and Mason Langenbrunner are all unrestricted free agents, giving Boston one more reminder that prospect pipelines do not always stay intact from draft day to the point where an NHL job might finally come into view.
Svedebck still wants to keep his pro hockey career going in North America, while Jellvik has moved on to a new opportunity in Sweden and Langenbrunner has stepped away from the game to pursue business ventures. For the Bruins, the bigger question is the same one that always follows a stretch like this: which young players still fit into the long-term plan, and which ones are already headed somewhere else? [Read more 🡒]