Marco Sturm does not have the luxury he had a year ago. Last fall, the Bruins’ new coach got six preseason games, plus the practice time that came with them, to figure out his group. This time, the runway is much shorter.
Boston opens practice Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena, has two more sessions before Sunday’s preseason opener against the Washington Capitals, then gets a rest day Monday before playing its final three exhibition games in four nights. That leaves Sturm, his staff and Bruins management with a tight window to sort out the roster and gives the fringe players far fewer chances to make a case.
So with that in mind, here’s an early look at how Boston’s first preseason lineup could take shape, starting with the forwards.
JJ Peterka is the obvious swing piece. He put up 25 goals and 22 assists for the Utah Mammoth in 2025-26 and still wasn’t happy with where his offense landed.
The Bruins’ answer is simple: put him next to David Pastrnak and let the puck find him. Pastrnak is Boston’s best player and he’s coming off a career-high 71 assists, which makes him the perfect setup man for a shoot-first winger trying to get rolling in a new uniform.
That same line should give Pavel Zacha a chance to do the dirty work. Zacha is in the final season of his contract, and skating with Peterka and Pastrnak should put him in position to post numbers that help his case for a raise.
Fraser Minten is in a different contract situation, entering the final season of his entry-level deal, but the expectations around him are just as clear. He already landed his recent $50.4 million payday because of what he can become, not just what he has been.
The Bruins want more than his 17-18-35 rookie-year line. Minten may not be the quickest skater, but lining him up with Marat Khusnutdinov should help.
Khusnutdinov earned Sturm’s trust last season with his speed on loose pucks and his feel for the game, and together they’ll be tasked with feeding Morgan Geekie, who remains the line’s main finishing threat.
Elias Lindholm gives Boston a different kind of center. A back injury kept him from living up to first-line billing over the last two seasons, but he still has the hockey sense to work as a steady No. 3 center, while also handling power-play and penalty-kill duty.
He would also be a strong mentor for James Hagens, who flashed real offense by scoring six goals in two games against the Buffalo Sabres in last weekend’s Prospect Challenge. Hagens could also get some shifts in the middle depending on the situation.
Casey Mittelstadt is another forward with something to prove. He’s set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, so production will matter as he plays for his next contract.
Then there’s the fourth line, which really doesn’t need much tinkering. Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic bring the kind of size and edge that make life miserable for opponents.
Nobody enjoys going against that group. If injuries hit, Alex Steeves should be the first forward called up from the press box.
On the blue line, the biggest caveat is Charlie McAvoy. He is still the Bruins’ top defenseman, but he’ll be suspended for the first six games of 2026-27, which makes for a major early-season hole. Boston could carry eight defensemen, McAvoy included, until he becomes eligible to return Oct. 13 against the San Jose Sharks.
In the meantime, Will Borgen looks like the temporary answer on the top pair as the right-shot defenseman. Hampus Lindholm is the likely partner there, and that arrangement would free Lindholm to jump into the play more often.
Nikita Zadorov and Connor Clifton could form the shutdown pair on the second unit. Both are strong skaters, both like the physical side of the game, and Zadorov could add another layer offensively if given the freedom.
The third pair may come down to Mason Lohrei versus Frederic Brunet on the left side. Both want to get involved up ice.
Lohrei has the edge in experience with 191 career NHL games, while Brunet has just one appearance from 2024-25. Lohrei could get the first look beside Jonathan Aspirot, who should be comfortable on his off side.
Brunet still looks likely to stay in the picture, though, because he needs waivers to go to AHL Providence.
That leaves Henri Jokiharju on the outside looking in. He’d be a trade candidate or a waivers candidate for AHL assignment, and he has two years left at $3 million per season.
In goal, the only real question is workload. Jeremy Swayman made 55 appearances last year and started 54 of them, and the Vezina Trophy finalist has already shown he can carry a heavy load. If the Bruins decide he can handle even more, Michael DiPietro, who had 45 AHL appearances last season, will need to settle into a lighter workload.
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Training camp opens this week with Marco Sturm still sorting out the Bruins roster and line combinations for the season opener against the Rangers, and one of the clearest early decisions centers on how to deploy a player who gives the lineup some much-needed flexibility. Boston brought in JJ Peterka in June, and his arrival adds another variable to the top-six mix as the staff begins mapping out who fits where, and for how long.
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Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm all were shown wearing alternate captain patches, a sign of how the team is leaning on several voices at once. Still, no Bruins player wore the captains C, and with other NHL teams already setting their leadership for the year ahead, Bostons answer to that vacancy remains one of camps most noticeable unresolved issues. [Read more 🡒]