Training camp is over, the roster is set, and the Boston Bruins are heading into the 2026-27 season with a few clear winners and a couple of bruised reputations after the final round of cuts.
The biggest stock-up story belongs to James Hagens. There was at least some uncertainty about whether he’d break camp with the NHL club, but he wiped that away early.
If anything, his case was sealed by a dominant Prospect Showcase in Buffalo two weeks ago. From there, he kept rolling in preseason and emerged as one of Marco Sturm’s best playmakers.
For now, it looks like the “Kid Line” will open the year together as Boston’s third line, and the James Hagens era in Boston is officially underway for a full NHL season.
Matthew Poitras is another young player who comes out of camp looking like he belongs. He’ll start the season on injured reserve after suffering an injury in camp, but he’s already done what he needed to do in Providence.
Mikey Eyssimont also made the cut and is expected to be the extra forward, which creates an interesting question for later: once Poitras is healthy, who gets squeezed out? One thing is clear - if he’s ready to return, he’s not going back to the AHL, since getting him to Providence would require waivers.
On the blue line, Frederic Brunet made the roster, and Charlie McAvoy’s six-game suspension helped open that door. But Brunet’s spot shouldn’t be treated as temporary filler.
He earned his opportunity through camp and preseason, and the expectation is that he’ll be part of Boston’s top six defensemen this season. He profiles as a strong third-pairing option for Sturm.
Not everyone left camp in good shape. Don Sweeney lands in the loser column because two of his questionable contract-extension bets are starting the season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins.
Lukas Reichel, acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline in March, is back there, and the same goes for Alex Steeves, whose extension last season already looks like a rough call. They’ll be useful AHL players again, but that’s not exactly the return anyone was hoping for.
Henri Jokiharju is the other clear loser here. The three-year extension at an AAV of $3 million already looked shaky, and nothing about last season or this camp changed that.
With McAvoy out for the first six games, Boston had an easier path to keeping Brunet, but Jokiharju’s situation still stands out for all the wrong reasons. The Bruins can only hope someone claims him on waivers.
In Other News...
Bruins Fans Are Suddenly Watching A Strange Marchenko Trade Rumor
A stray bit of social media sleuthing has Bruins fans doing a double take, with Kirill Marchenko suddenly entering the conversation around Boston. The wingers name popped up after an online observation noticed mutual Instagram follows between Marchenko and a pair of Bruins players, enough to send speculation spinning even though there is no hockey-related evidence behind it.
For a fan base that is always alert to possible roster upgrades, the temptation to connect dots is obvious, especially when a player profile like Marchenkos gets dragged into the mix. Still, the buzz appears to be little more than the kind of coincidence the internet loves to turn into a rumor, leaving Boston supporters with a fresh topic to watch but no real sign that anything is actually brewing. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Need JJ Peterka To Fix One Offensive Problem Fast
The trade market is starting to move again as the league heads toward its cap-compliant roster deadline, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that a deal involving Kirill Marchenko between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs could be close. For Boston, the ripple effect matters because the Bruins have already made their big swing, bringing in winger JJ Peterka to help address an offense that has lacked enough punch for too long.
Peterka arrives with real expectations attached, and the Bruins will need him to translate that upside quickly once the season opens against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. The fit is obvious enough: Boston wants more speed, more finishing and more reliable scoring depth, and Peterka is the kind of addition that can change the look of a forward group if he settles in right away. The only question is how fast that impact shows up, because for a team trying to reestablish itself, offensive fixes have a way of becoming urgent the moment the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Finally Found A Backup Goalie Worth Watching
After Bostons first-round playoff exit, the Bruins moved on from Joonas Korpisalo by sending him to the New York Rangers, a change that opened a cleaner runway behind Jeremy Swayman. It also created a real opportunity for Michael DiPietro, whose path to the NHL roster had been less about hype than about timing and steady work.
DiPietro took advantage of it in camp and preseason, where he put together the kind of showing that made the backup picture more interesting than it has been in a while. For a Bruins team looking to sort out the goal crease after last springs disappointment, having a second goaltender who earned the job on merit gives the season a little more stability, even if the long-term questions around the position are still very much part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]