The Bruins are closing in on training camp at Warrior Ice Arena, and the season opener isn’t far behind. Boston will kick off the 2026-27 campaign on Sept. 29 when the New York Rangers visit for Opening Night.
A couple of Bruins names have already started showing up on national lists. The NHL Network has been rolling out its top players by position, and in its Top 50 overall rankings, Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy landed in the 41-50 range. David Pastrnak still figures to appear higher up as the list continues to unfold.
The Athletic went even deeper, ranking 150 players in tiers, and all three of those Bruins made the cut. Pastrnak was placed in the first tier, which covers the top 10 players and is labeled the MVP tier. McAvoy and Swayman were slotted into the third tier, the top-60 group known as the All-Star tier.
That kind of placement doesn’t exactly shock anybody. Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Swayman are the three Bruins most likely to set the tone for a team hoping to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There’s also some college hockey news on the prospect front. Two Bruins prospects were named alternate captains at Quinnipiac for the 2026-27 season: third-round pick Christopher Pelosi, selected in 2023, and fourth-round pick Elliott Groenewold, selected in 2024.
They’ll serve under captain Mason Marcellus, who is undrafted. Quinnipiac reached the NCAA Tournament last season and will try to do it again.
Pelosi, a forward, put up 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points last season. Groenewold, a defenseman, finished with seven goals and 27 points.
And then there’s Matthew Poitras. As September moves along, he still hasn’t signed.
That situation has been worth watching for a while, and the longer it drags on, the more uneasy it feels for Bruins fans. Something appears to be holding things up between the two sides, and neither seems willing to budge.
A trade still feels hard to picture at this point, but if that was the route, it seems like it would have happened already. Big decisions are coming fast.
In Other News...
Bruins Fans Will Love Why JJ Peterka Could Fit Fast
The Bruins added a quick, skilled winger in JJ Peterka when they swung a deal with the Utah Mammoth that cost them two first-round picks, and the fit already sounds promising from Peterkas side. After stops in Buffalo and a run with Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, he spoke positively about landing in Boston, pointing to a comfort level with the coaching staff and some of the people around the room as reasons the transition could come fast.
Don Sweeney made it clear why the Bruins paid that price, emphasizing Peterkas speed and skill as traits that can help a team trying to stay competitive. For Boston, the appeal is obvious: Peterka brings a different gear to the lineup, and the next question is how quickly he can translate that burst into the kind of role the Bruins have in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bruins Still Waiting As Training Camp Gets Closer
With Bostons season opener against the Rangers coming on Sept. 29, the calendar is starting to work against a few familiar names still on the market. New Yorks recent addition of Eeli Tolvanen gave the Eastern Conference contender another piece, while several former Bruins continue to wait for their next NHL landing spot as training camp approaches.
Among the veterans still unsigned are Matt Grzelcyk, Mike Reilly and James van Riemsdyk, all of whom remain in free agency with camp drawing closer. If they are going to crack an NHL roster in the coming weeks, a professional tryout contract could wind up being the most realistic route back into a camp setting. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Playoff Hopes Suddenly Feel More Fragile In The Atlantic
As the Atlantic Division retools around bigger swings and louder headlines, Boston has taken a far quieter approach. Florida has already changed the conversation by adding Brady Tkachuk and reshuffling its goaltending, while other teams in the division are being sized up for bounce-back or backslide seasons. Against that backdrop, the Bruins have made only modest offseason noise, with Don Sweeneys biggest move coming in the draft-day deal for JJ Peterka, leaving the roster looking more familiar than transformed.
That is why a recent look at the teams most likely to disappoint in 2026-27 felt a little telling for Boston, even in absence. Joe Yerdons list included Buffalo, Florida, Ottawa and Detroit, but the Bruins were not on it at all, despite the limited upgrades and the broader uncertainty hanging over the division. For a club trying to stay in the playoff mix, being overlooked as a possible underperformer can be its own kind of warning sign. [Read more 🡒]