The Boston Bruins’ 2025-26 season turned into one of the league’s biggest surprises, but it still ended in a familiar place: disappointment.
Boston wasn’t supposed to be a playoff team. Then the breaks started falling their way, the points piled up, and the Bruins finished with 100 points, grabbed the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and drew the Buffalo Sabres, the Atlantic Division champs, in the opening round. That run had a little bit of everything nobody expected.
It also ended quickly. Buffalo knocked the Bruins out in six games, and by early May the Boston front office was already saying roster upgrades were needed to keep pace in 2026-27 and beyond.
That concern isn’t just local. Around the league, the feeling is that Boston still has work to do, even after a season that looked like a step forward on paper.
Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon put that unease into blunt terms when he laid out the best- and worst-case scenarios for every Atlantic Division club. For the Bruins, the optimistic version is simple: another trip to the playoffs.
The downside is just as familiar, with Boston finishing right on the outside and landing a bland mid-first-round draft pick. Ooof.
Sound familiar?
The Bruins have made some additions, but not the kind that scream major overhaul. They landed JJ Peterka in a trade with the Utah Mammoth that sent back two first-round draft picks.
They also brought back Connor Clifton in free agency and added Will Borgen from the New York Rangers. Elsewhere in the division, teams have been far more aggressive, including the Florida Panthers, who added Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
That leaves a pile of questions heading into camp, and one of the biggest is whether Marco Sturm’s system can again squeeze enough out of what many see as an under-talented roster to get Boston back in the postseason.
The depth chart is crowded in a few places. There are too many defensemen on the roster entering training camp and way too many bottom-six forwards on the roster. Then there’s the issue of what happens with prospects James Hagens and Matthew Poitras if he signs a new deal.
For now, the Bruins look like a team stuck in the middle - good enough to keep flirting with a playoff spot, not nearly complete enough to be talked about as a true contender. If that sounds like a frustrating loop, that’s because it is. The scary part for Bruins fans is that the next chapter may look a lot like the last one.
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Fraser Minten's Extension Just Created A Real Bruins Center Crunch
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James Hagens Has A Real Chance To Force Boston's Hand
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Hagens is in camp with a chance to make the front office think harder about how the forward group should look when the season opens. Boston has options and plenty of competition among its younger forwards, and this week is his first real chance to turn offseason buzz into something more concrete. The Bruins do not need to rush him, but they also do not need to make the path any easier for themselves if he keeps standing out. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Rookie Camp Just Put Early Focus On Bostons Next Depth Battle
The Bruins opened rookie camp at Warrior Ice Arena with the usual September mix of promise and possibility, and a couple of names already drawing a closer look. Dans Locmelis and Attilio Biasca were part of the group on the ice, while the organization also has Bruins Fan Fest coming up in Warwick, Rhode Island, giving fans another early chance to size up the next wave of players before the real battles begin.
Locmelis offered an encouraging update after his shoulder surgery in March, saying he is fully healthy again, while Biasca was taking part in his first NHL rookie camp after signing a two-year deal in June. For a team looking to stock its lower lines and fill out future depth, those are the kinds of developments that matter most right now, even with the bigger camp decisions still weeks away. [Read more 🡒]