The Boston Bruins still have time to reshape the roster before training camp arrives in September, but the early returns on their offseason have been hard to spin as anything other than underwhelming.
So far, the Black and Gold have added JJ Peterka and lost Viktor Arvidsson up front. On defense, they brought back Connor Clifton, traded for Will Borgen, and said goodbye to Andrew Peeke. Even with those moves, the bigger issue remains untouched: Boston is still missing that top-four blueliner.
That’s why Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report didn’t exactly go out on a limb with his “bold” prediction for the Bruins. In his roundup of one prediction for every NHL team, Gretz said Boston will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2026-27 season.
“The Bruins are not going to be one of the worst teams in the league, but they might have to scratch and claw their way just to stay in playoff contention. Enough borderline teams around them also got a lot better (New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers) that it's going to make the playoff fight a very real challenge,'' Gretz wrote.
For Bruins fans, the frustration is easy to understand. President Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney have already made it clear the roster needed more talent, but the additions haven’t matched that message. There’s a real sense that Boston could end up running it back with something close to the same group it finished with last season.
And in a division that could be the league’s toughest, that’s a risky place to be. Right now, it’s difficult to picture Boston finishing any better than fifth in the Atlantic Division, and maybe sixth.
In 2026-27, that likely won’t be enough to get into the postseason. That’s what makes Gretz’s prediction feel less like a hot take and more like a straightforward read on where things stand.
In Other News...
Former Bruins First Round Pick Is Already Becoming Edmonton's Problem
Trent Frederics name is already showing up in an uncomfortable place for Edmonton, and it is the kind of reminder Bruins fans know well. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic included the former Boston forward on his list of the 10 worst NHL contracts heading into the 2026-27 season, a notable turn for a player who once arrived in Boston as a first-round pick and later moved on to the Oilers.
Frederic has had a full season to settle into his new role in Edmonton, but the early returns have not done much to quiet the concern around the deal. He played 74 games last season with modest production and a negative plus-minus rating, and the contract already looks like the sort of commitment that can become a problem quickly if the on-ice impact does not rise to match it. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Goalie Situation Is More Crowded Than Most Fans Realize
The Bruins spent the offseason quietly widening the net in goal, adding to a pipeline that already stretches from the NHL roster down through college and Europe. Boston has brought in Simon Zajicek, Luke Cavallin, Max Lundgren and Jiri Patera, while also continuing to develop other options in the system, giving the organization a much deeper group than most fans probably realize.
Joonas Korpisalos departure on July 1 opened a lane on the depth chart and made Michael DiPietros path to the backup job look cleaner, but the picture is still bigger than one roster spot. The Bruins are also set to carry Kyle Chauvette as their emergency backup goalie this season, another sign that the club wants every layer covered as it heads into the year with confidence in the work being done by its goalie development group. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Poitras May Be The Bruins Breakout They Have Needed
Matt Poitras has already given the Bruins a glimpse of why they remain intrigued by his upside, even if the path has been uneven. After appearing in 33 games in each of his previous two seasons, he was limited to just three NHL games in 2025-26, a reminder that Boston still has not settled on exactly where he fits. When he has been in Providence, though, the offensive touch has been hard to miss, and that has kept him in the conversation as one of the organizations more interesting young forwards.
The Bruins are still looking for the kind of internal jump that can change the feel of a season, and Poitras is the sort of player who could help answer that need if the development keeps trending the right way. His AHL track record suggests there is more to unlock, and Boston is hoping that by 2026-27 he can grow into a regular top-nine role rather than remain a player the team shuttles in and out of the lineup. For now, the question is less about whether the talent is there and more about when the Bruins finally get enough of it at the NHL level. [Read more 🡒]