The Bruins are making room for two familiar names Monday night in Ottawa, and both Matt Poitras and Frederic Brunet are getting a crack at carving out something bigger than a one-night appearance.
Head coach Marco Strum said both players will make their season debuts against the Senators, giving Boston a lineup shakeup that opens with Poitras returning from injured reserve after dealing with a lower-body injury near the end of camp. To clear the way, the Bruins placed Michael Eyssimont on waivers Sunday.
For Poitras, the assignment comes with a new look and a clear challenge. The 22-year-old center is expected to slide into a bottom-six role, centering a line with Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, and he knows the job is about more than trying to force offense.
“Just be a little bit more responsible," said Poitras. "I always want to be responsible, just bear down on draws and play hard and simple. I'm going to go out there and take what's in front of me and still try and make some plays.”
Poitras has already had a taste of the NHL. During the 2024-25 season, he played 33 games for Boston and put up five goals and ten assists. Last year, he spent almost the entire season with Providence in the AHL, where he posted 13 goals and 31 assists in 69 games, while also getting a three-game look in Boston and scoring once.
Now the pressure shifts to what comes next. The 2026-27 season is the one that will help determine whether Poitras settles in as a full-time NHL center for the Bruins or ends up exposed to other teams through waivers before continuing his career somewhere else, whether that’s a new organization or back in Providence.
Brunet is in a different spot, but the opportunity is just as real. He is set to play in only his second NHL game, after appearing once during the 2024-25 season following three full seasons in Providence. Over 183 AHL games, the former fifth-rounder has put up 75 points, including 19 goals and 56 assists.
This time, Brunet says the mindset is not the same as it was during that first call-up.
“I feel like I'm a part of the team now, and I think it's just a different approach," said Brunet. "I want to stay in the lineup. I know the first game I played was kind of a try out and I think this year is just to prove that I can stick in the lineup and I think it's just a different approach for me but I'm looking forward to it.”
Boston sees Brunet as another blue-line option who can move the puck and help at both ends. He has added more strength and physicality as he’s settled into pro hockey, becoming an important part of a Providence team that allowed the second lowest amount of goals in 2025-26. His offensive numbers have climbed every season in Providence too, capped by a career-high 12 goals and 24 assists a year ago.
In Other News...
Bruins Still Have One Roster Hole That Could Define Their Ceiling
Don Sweeney checked off one offseason need by landing JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth, a move that cost the Bruins two first-round draft picks and gave the roster another piece up front. Even so, the bigger question hanging over Boston has not changed: the club still lacks a top-six center and is rolling back the same group from last season while the rest of the roster takes shape around it.
That is why the trade market remains worth watching for Boston, especially with names already being floated as possible fits if the right situation opens up. One recent report from Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report put the Bruins among four teams that could make sense for Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele if he becomes available, a reminder that the Bruins may still need one more major swing to push their ceiling higher. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Make Intriguing Lineup Call Ahead Of Senators Game
The Bruins are arriving in Ottawa with a couple of notable roster tweaks as they prepare for a meeting with the Senators. Matthew Poitras is back in the mix after coming off injured reserve, and Boston is also turning to rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet in a fresh look on the blue line. The moves give the lineup a different feel heading into a game where the Bruins will try to keep things steady against a Senators team that will be missing defenseman Jake Sanderson because of injury.
Poitras is slated to slide into the fourth-line center role, giving Boston another option down the middle as it continues to sort out its forward groups. The more intriguing wrinkle is what the Bruins are doing on defense, where Brunet is in position for his first NHL action. For a team still trying to find the right balance between health and depth, this kind of adjustment can say a lot about where the coaching staff thinks the next opportunity might be. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Forwards Suddenly Enter An Oilers Trade Debate
The Oilers have opened the 2026-27 season at 2-0-1 even while dealing with a depleted forward group, and that has already pushed them into trade chatter. Elliotte Friedman reported Edmonton has at least considered dealing from its blue line to bring in help up front, a search that has quickly widened as the roster absences continue to shape how the team can play early.
For Bruins fans, the twist is that two familiar bottom-six names have surfaced as possible fits in the discussion: Mark Kastelic and Michael Eyssimont. Montreals Kirby Dach is also in the mix, though he would present a tougher path because of his cap hit and injury history, and for now the Oilers are still weighing whether a move is worth making at all. [Read more 🡒]