The Bruins are done with preseason hockey, and they left their final tune-up with both a loss and a few things to feel decent about.
Boston fell 3-2 in overtime to the Washington Capitals on Friday night, wrapping up the shortened preseason with a 2-1-1 record. Morgan Geekie got the Bruins on the board in the third period, David Pastrnak tied it 2:16 later, and then Jordan Kyrou ended it 11 seconds into overtime. Jeremy Swayman stopped 32 of 35 shots.
There were rough patches, especially through the first 40 minutes and on the penalty kill, but Pastrnak and Marco Sturm both came away with “a lot to like” from the night. The Pastrnak-JJ Peterka line and Boston’s third-period push were among the brighter spots as the regular season draws near.
Now the real roster churn begins. The Bruins announced eight more camp cuts, trimming the group to 31 players.
Five of those players are currently on waivers, one is headed to Providence camp, and two have been assigned to the Providence Bruins. More moves are expected this weekend, with Sunday the last day to place players on waivers before Monday’s roster deadline.
There’s also a trade-rumor wrinkle worth watching. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins made a push for Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko.
Boston is among a number of teams in the mix, and Columbus is said to be unwilling to take futures for the 26-year-old. The Blue Jackets have also been described as a team “watching closely” on Pavel Zacha.
The league picture is shifting, too. The NHL’s first estimate for the 2028-29 salary cap is $127.5 million, up from the current $104 million and following a projected jump to $113.5 million for 2027-28.
Dylan Larkin’s list of acceptable trade destinations has also grown to eight teams, though the Bruins are not on it. Tampa Bay, Washington, Colorado and Dallas are presumed to be on the list, and no Canadian teams are included.
In San Jose, the Sharks made it official: Macklin Celebrini is their captain. The 20-year-old becomes the 11th captain in franchise history, taking over after Logan Couture in 2024-25.
Boston’s old blue line is still making the rounds elsewhere. Matt Grzelcyk signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Charlestown native spent last season with the Blackhawks and finished with 12 assists in 69 games. The year before that, he put up 40 points with Pittsburgh.
In Carolina, Pyotr Kochetkov landed a two-year, $3.95 million extension, while Alexander Nikishin changed agents in the middle of his contract situation with the Hurricanes. Nikishin is now represented by Paul Theofanous, who also represents Kochetkov and 10 other NHL players.
The goalie market kept moving as well. The Senators acquired Jonas Johansson from the Lightning for future considerations after losing Leevi Merilainen on waivers, and Vancouver claimed Merilainen after having first dibs on the wire. The 24-year-old had been “on their radar all summer.”
And one more note before the weekend roster crunch: there are 61 players on waivers today, including five of the eight Bruins cut from camp yesterday.
In Other News...
Bruins Already Face A Tough Camp Problem At Center
The Bruins are trying to sort out their center picture under a preseason setup that leaves less room for trial and error than usual. With the NHL cutting camp to four exhibition games and limiting how often veterans with more than 100 career games can appear, Marco Sturm has had to make every look count, and that has created extra chances for younger players trying to climb into the conversation.
Matthew Poitras was limited by an injury this week and finished camp with just one preseason game, which narrows the margin for him at a position where Boston already needed clarity. Sean Kuraly has already skated in two preseason games, and with those appearances eating into the available runway, Dans Locmelis has been positioned for a longer look on the fourth line as the Bruins keep searching for the right fit down the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Fans Are Reading Into A New Kirill Marchenko Clue
A bit of social media sleuthing has Bruins fans looking twice at Kirill Marchenko. An X account that tracks hockey players Instagram followings noticed recent follows from David Pastrnak and Nikita Zadorov, and with Marchenko already circulating as a possible trade target, it was enough to set off a fresh wave of speculation around Bostons search for scoring help.
Marchenkos name has been in the rumor mix for a while because he is a pending free agent after this season, which makes any trade conversation more complicated than a simple pickup. For the Bruins, the intrigue is obvious: if there is real interest, a deal would likely have to come with the kind of contract extension that signals more than a short-term rental, even if nothing has been confirmed yet. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Roster Decision With One Forward Suddenly In Limbo
The weekend waiver wire brought an early test for Bostons roster management, with 18 NHL players exposed to the rest of the league on Saturday and a handful of names carrying real meaning beyond simple procedural moves. Among them is Lukas Reichel, who suddenly finds himself in limbo as teams sort through options before the deadline for claims passes on Sunday.
For the Bruins, the situation is straightforward on paper but potentially important in practice, because a player who goes unclaimed does not simply disappear from the conversation. If Reichel clears, he can be assigned to Bostons AHL affiliate, leaving the Bruins to decide how they want to handle a forward who is now waiting on the rest of the league to make the first move. [Read more 🡒]