The Bruins may not have planned to accelerate James Hagens this quickly, but the pressure is building.
Hagens is on pace for 30 goals and 30 assists, a huge development for Boston after all the chatter surrounding the rookie last season. He’s already shown he can produce on the wing, even when flanked by two forwards who aren’t exactly known as offensive engines.
That matters. But it also raises the bigger question: if he’s doing this well out there, what happens when the Bruins finally ask him to play the position they drafted him to handle?
Right now, Boston doesn’t have to force the issue. Fraser Minten has given the Bruins a way to keep David Pastrnak supported without immediately shifting Hagens into the middle. But with two straight losses and a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the league’s worst teams, the timing may be right for Marco Sturm to tinker.
One possible setup would keep Minten, Pastrnak and Marat Khusnutdinov together after they played the third period of Thursday’s loss as a unit. Another option would be to swap in JJ Peterka for Khusnutdinov and give that second line more defensive responsibility. There’s also a case to be made for a line of Hagens, Khusnutdinov and Morgan Geekie, especially if Boston wants to get Geekie moving out of his scoring slump.
Pavel Zacha’s situation only adds to the urgency. Whatever is bothering him is clearly affecting his production, and a move to the wing has helped him before. He found success last season with Casey Mittelstadt, and a third line of Zacha, Mittelstadt and Elias Lindholm could give the Bruins a shutdown group that still has enough offense to matter.
The longer view is even more complicated. Boston may eventually have to move Zacha out, and while both sides are still trying to work something out, a contract extension looks less and less likely. If the Bruins want to stay competitive while also dealing Zacha, they need to find out whether Hagens and Minten can handle top-six center duties.
That becomes even more important with Dylan Larkin’s “sweepstakes” potentially nearing an end. The Bruins are not on his trade list, and unless that changes, Boston doesn’t appear to be getting help from the Olympic gold medalist. If Larkin is off the board, the Bruins’ top six will have to be built from within, which puts even more weight on Hagens and Minten.
The argument here is simple: Boston should prioritize finding out whether Hagens can be a top-six center rather than bringing in Larkin for the rest of his contract. Adding Larkin would likely push Hagens to the wing for at least the next four seasons, and that could mean missing the window to develop him at center altogether.
A two-game skid shouldn’t send the Bruins into a panic. The young players have helped carry this team this far, and now they may need even more responsibility while the veterans sort themselves out. For Boston, that starts with giving Hagens a bigger role.
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James Hagens Is Giving Bruins Fans A Reason To Dream Bigger
James Hagens keeps giving Bruins fans a little more reason to lean in, even on nights when the result goes sideways. Against the St. Louis Blues, the rookie found the net again, and the goal was his fifth of the season, a milestone that puts him in some notable company for a young player trying to carve out a bigger role in Boston.
The Bruins still dropped the game 4-1 despite outshooting St. Louis, a reminder that one bright moment is not enough to cover up a rough finish. Boston allowed four unanswered goals and surrendered two on the power play, but Hagens early scoring touch is becoming hard to ignore as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Top Six Is Putting Marco Sturm In A Tough Spot
Bostons third line has quietly become one of the more encouraging parts of the lineup, giving Marco Sturm a useful problem at a time when the top six still hasnt found a steady rhythm. James Hagens, Elias Lindholm and Casey Mittelstadt have been effective together at 5-on-5, and they have done it without getting a particularly friendly run of offensive-zone starts, which makes their recent success stand out even more.
The challenge for Sturm is that the Bruins are still searching for a combination up front that can generate more dependable offense, especially with Chicago coming next on the schedule. Line shuffling is on the table, and one possibility would be moving David Pastrnak into a different look to try to spark the group, but the coaching staff has not settled on how it wants to attack the problem just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Could Benefit From A Stunning Atlantic Twist
The Atlantic Division has been thrown into a fresh round of speculation after a wave of trade requests began reshaping the conversation around the NHL's top teams. For Boston, the ripple effect matters even without a direct move on the board, because any shakeup involving Tampa Bay can alter the balance of power in a division where every contender is watching the same dominoes.
Boston's interest is less about the rumor itself than the possible chain reaction it could set off if Tampa Bay decides to pivot quickly. The Bruins would be tracking how the Lightning handle the situation, what kind of return they seek, and whether the fallout changes the competitive landscape in a division that already has plenty of tension. For now, it is all still fluid, but the possibility of a major Atlantic twist is enough to keep the Bruins' corner of the league paying close attention. [Read more 🡒]