When the Boston Bruins open training camp next month at Warrior Ice Arena, a lot of the roster chatter is going to center on the same two spots: the bottom six up front and the blue line. That’s where the squeeze is coming, and it’s where a few familiar names could wind up watching more games than they play in 2026-27.
Three Bruins in particular are staring at reduced ice time if the roster starts tilting toward younger options.
Mikey Eyssimont is one of them. Don Sweeney brought him in as a free agent in the summer of 2025 and gave him a multi-year deal, with the Bruins already knowing the type of player they were getting from his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But his first year in Boston never really found its footing. Eyssimont appeared in 56 games, averaged 10:55 per night, and posted eight goals and 18 points.
He also spent more time as a scratch than he likely expected. If Boston starts handing more nightly reps to younger forwards like James Hagens and Matthew Poitras, Eyssimont looks like the kind of player who could end up in street clothes more often.
Henri Jokiharju is in a similar spot, though the path to this point was a little different. Boston’s deadline move for him in 2025 made sense at the time, since he was brought in to help replace Brandon Carlo after Carlo was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What happened after that was harder to explain. The Bruins brought Jokiharju back last summer on a three-year deal with an AAV of $3 million, but the right-shot defenseman played just 41 games, finished with two goals and 13 assists, and averaged 17:48 a night.
His postseason against his former team, the Sabres, went even worse - he was scratched for most of the series. For a player signed to that kind of term, the setup points toward a lot of time on the pressbox side of things.
Then there’s Lukas Reichel, whose situation feels like another numbers game waiting to happen. Boston picked him up from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline in a last-second move, and the 17th overall pick in the 2020 Entry Draft has been trying to find a real NHL home after bouncing between the Blackhawks, Canucks and Bruins.
The Bruins brought him back on a one-year contract, even though he only played 10 games in Black and Gold after the trade. Still, if second-year head coach Marco Sturm is going to give more run to Hagens and Poitras, somebody is going to get pushed down the depth chart.
Reichel may be the one left on the outside looking in.
In Other News...
Bruins Could Turn Henri Jokiharju Into A Bigger Blue-Line Answer
Henri Jokiharju has given the Bruins a useful layer of defensive depth, but his fit in Boston still looks more like a short-term patch than a long-term answer on the blue line. With the roster always under pressure to balance immediate needs against bigger-picture planning, his name has started to surface as a possible piece that could help the Bruins address another area of the defense without losing flexibility.
A few clubs around the league could make sense if Boston decides to move him, with teams like Anaheim and Dallas both needing help on the back end. Carolina also fits the conversation because of its own defensive needs, and that is where the speculation gets more interesting for Boston, since Jokiharju could be part of a broader exchange rather than a simple depth swap. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Legends Are Reuniting For Chara But One Absence Stands Out
Zdeno Chara is set to get a proper sendoff in his native Slovakia, with Zees Final Shift bringing together 21 former and current Bruins for a farewell game in Trenn. The event at Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Stadium has the feel of a reunion as much as a tribute, with Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and several members of Bostons 2011 Stanley Cup team among those expected to take part.
One familiar name will not be on the ice after initially being listed for the event, and that absence changes the look of Team Boston a bit. In his place, Jozef Stumpel has been added to the roster, leaving Charas celebration still packed with Bruins ties but missing one of the more recognizable faces from the original invite list. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Rolston Still Owns A Bruins Mark That Feels Untouchable
Brian Rolstons name still sits in a pretty interesting corner of Bruins history. His nine shorthanded goals in the 2001-02 season remain the single-season franchise standard, and even with the leagues style changing over time and seasons stretching longer, it is the kind of mark that has aged surprisingly well. It is the sort of record that reflects more than just finishing skill, because it also speaks to timing, instincts and a willingness to turn a penalty kill into an attack.
Brad Marchand long ago established himself as the Bruins all-time leader in career shorthanded goals with 36, which only underscores how rare Rolstons season was in its own right. Marchands 2025 trade changed the shape of that conversation going forward, and it leaves Rolstons one-year burst looking even more secure. For all the ways the modern game invites offense, this is still one Bruins record that feels almost untouchable. [Read more 🡒]