The Bruins don’t look like a team that should be treated as an afterthought in the East.
Boston came out of the 2025-26 season with a 45-27-10 record, 100 points and a wild card berth in a crowded Eastern Conference. That was already a strong result, and the reality this year is simple: the conference still won’t be any friendlier, especially in the Atlantic Division, but the Bruins also haven’t taken a step backward.
That’s what makes the current market on Boston feel a little strange. Oddsmakers have the Bruins at 87.5 regular-season points, which would mean a drop of 13 points from last season’s total. Maybe Boston doesn’t repeat a 100-point campaign, but projecting this group to fall that far looks like a leap.
The core is still there. Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are back, with McAvoy expected to be healthier than he was in 2025-26. Boston also brought in JJ Peterka to give the offense a lift, and that’s an upgrade over the departed Viktor Arvidsson, even with the season Arvidsson had.
There’s also room for internal growth. The expectation is that Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov and James Hagens will keep developing, while Will Borgen and the return of Connor Clifton could bring more steadiness to the blue line. Put it together, and the Bruins have a roster that should be better than last year’s if the pieces perform the way they’re supposed to.
That doesn’t mean the road will be easy. The Atlantic could send five teams to the playoffs, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens fighting for the division again. The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators may slip after losing Alex Tuch and Brady Tkachuk, respectively.
The Florida Panthers are expected to climb again after a season spent recovering from their three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final and the addition of Tkachuk. The Toronto Maple Leafs are also projected to bounce back, though that feels like a bigger ask than the Panthers.
If the Canadiens, Lightning, Panthers and Maple Leafs claim the top four spots, then Boston is right there with the Sabres and Senators chasing that fifth place in the division. The Bruins could even finish ahead of the Maple Leafs again, land fourth in the Atlantic and grab the first wild card. They could also get squeezed by two of the other wild card contenders and miss the postseason entirely.
Either way, this is not a team that should be written off. The Bruins are going to be in the mix in the Eastern Conference.
In Other News...
Bruins Suddenly Have A Veteran Scoring Option Worth Watching
Barry Melrose, the longtime hockey analyst and former player and coach, has died at 70, a loss felt across the sport by anyone who watched him break down the game for years. Around the same time, a veteran scoring name suddenly entered the conversation in a way that could matter for teams looking to add offense, with the move creating a fresh bit of intrigue for clubs that still have room to chase help.
For Boston, the appeal is obvious. The Bruins could always use another experienced finisher if the fit and price make sense, and this is the kind of situation worth monitoring closely as the market takes shape. Reports suggest the player in question may have a preference for the East Coast, but nothing has been settled yet, which leaves the door open and the speculation very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Charlie McAvoy Finally Addressed The Play That Got Him Suspended
Charlie McAvoy is still sorting through the play that turned into a major early-season storyline for the Bruins, and the defenseman finally offered his side of it after the NHLs Department of Player Safety handed down a six-game suspension. The incident came after a playoff sequence against Buffalo, when McAvoy was assessed a match penalty for slashing Sabres forward Zach Benson, a moment that quickly became a flashpoint because of how heated and dangerous it looked in real time.
McAvoy framed the exchange as a response to what he saw as a dangerous slew-footing play, but he also acknowledged the reaction went too far. He said a broken hand played a role in why he did not square off with Benson then and there, adding another layer to a situation that already carried discipline, frustration and a lot of second-guessing for Boston heading into the new season. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Are Suddenly Tied To A Veteran Scorer With Camp Looming
With camp looming and the Bruins still sorting out their roster for the 2026-27 season, the team has found itself connected to a familiar veteran scorer. Elliotte Friedman has mentioned interest in bringing Chris Kreider back to Boston, and while nothing has been finalized, the possibility adds another layer to a forward group that still appears to be in flux as decisions draw closer.
A move like that would not just be about adding another name to the lineup, either. It could force the Bruins to rework how their bottom half of the forward group fits together, and one of the more notable ripple effects would be on players pushing for everyday roles. For a team trying to lock in its roster ahead of the season, the timing of this kind of speculation makes the next few weeks worth watching. [Read more 🡒]