Doubts about the Bruins have become almost routine in the post-Zdeno Chara, post-Patrice Bergeron, post-Brad Marchand era. Plenty of people looked at Boston’s roster before the season and saw a team that would struggle to keep up. One Daily Faceoff prediction panel reflected that skepticism last month, with only one of 10 voters picking the Bruins to reach the postseason.
Ten games into 2026-27, Boston has flipped that script for now. The Bruins are 7-2-1, sitting atop the Atlantic Division and holding the NHL’s fourth-best points percentage through Tuesday’s games. They’ve done it even with Charlie McAvoy missing the first six contests because of suspension.
There’s plenty to like in the early returns. Anthony Trudeau wrote this week about how the Bruins have genuinely improved, Fraser Minten has taken another step, and the team’s expected goal differential is now in positive territory. But the biggest reasons Boston has surged are still the same two drivers from last season: Jeremy Swayman, who has been arguably the NHL’s best goaltender since the start of 2025-26, and David Pastrnak.
Pastrnak has picked up right where he left off after last season’s 100-point run, posting four goals and 12 points in his first 10 games. But the story around him is bigger than the points column.
At 30, he’s no longer the elite sidekick next to Hall of Fame-level centers and wingers. He’s the player others orbit now.
That’s been true on the ice and off it. Pastrnak has gradually grown into a more vocal presence, a development that fit his personality.
Last month, that growth was rewarded when he was named the 28th captain in franchise history. He didn’t sound especially interested in making the assignment about him.
“We are chasing the Stanley Cup, not worrying about who is going to wear the ‘C’ in our group,” Pastrnak told Daily Faceoff in early September a few weeks before earning the honor. “I grew up through some incredible leaders, hockey wise, and there’s a lot of guys in the room that have been with those guys, too.
So it’s always been a group effort there. And no matter what letter you have on the chest, you’re wearing the Boston Bruins logo.
And that’s the most important thing. You’re representing Boston Bruins, whether you have ‘A,’ ‘C,’ or nothing on the jersey.
That’s just the culture that’s been built there.”
The captaincy fits, but Pastrnak’s leadership has always been rooted in his play. Over the 10 seasons before this one, he averaged 44 goals and 98 points per 82 games, became the 18th NHL player to post four straight 100-point seasons, and appeared in 94 percent of Boston’s regular-season games. Only four players in the league have piled up more points over the past decade.
What’s changed is how he’s creating offense. Pastrnak used to be viewed mainly as one of the game’s great finishers, with only Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl and Alex Ovechkin scoring more goals since his prime began in 2016-17.
Then 2025-26 brought a different version: 29 goals, a career-high 71 assists, and the league lead in primary assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. He’s opened this season as Boston’s assist leader again.
That shift wasn’t accidental. Pastrnak said the Bruins’ personnel forced some of the adjustment.
“With me, it was more the way we were built last year,” he told Daily Faceoff. “I changed power-play spots.
Everything was running through me. I was not on my one-timer side, because obviously Morgan Geekie’s shot is elite.
And we didn’t have the real lefty that would play-make the power play. So I think it’s just with the personnel, the way the team is built, the way your team is working.
The power play was working last year like that. So we can’t change that.”
He also made clear the playmaking side of his game isn’t some new invention.
“It was no problem for me,” he said. “I don’t mind it.
Honestly, growing up I always was a playmaker. I was never a goal scorer.
I became a goal scorer in the NHL. That’s the thing that a lot of people don’t know.
Growing up, I almost always would rather pass and set up the goals.”
For a player known for one of the most dangerous one-timers in the sport, that’s a revealing answer.
“Maybe [I had] a little bit of luck in the NHL, a little bit of the personnel, right?” Pastrnak said.
“We had David Krejci, the playmaker, that you play with, and you had ‘Marchy’ running power play. ‘Bergy’ was in the middle.
So it’s just the personnel that I was lucky enough [to play with]. I grew up in a certain spot and started scoring goals.
Do I love to score goals? Yes, don’t get me wrong…But at the same time, it makes me really happy when I can set up the goal.”
That’s what makes Pastrnak so valuable to Boston now. He can score like a star, pass like a creator, and adjust to whatever the Bruins need from him on a given night.
Early this season, his playmaking numbers are down from a year ago, but his individual shot attempts and expected goals at 5-on-5 are at all-time highs. Whether that means the sniper is coming back or not almost feels beside the point.
The larger truth is simpler: Pastrnak can be whoever the Bruins need him to be. That’s why he wears the captain’s letter, and why he belongs in the Hart Trophy conversation all season long.
In Other News...
James Hagens Is Giving Bruins Fans A Very Different Reason For Hope
James Hagens arrived in Boston with the reputation of a high-end offensive prospect, the kind of young forward Bruins fans naturally expected to eventually tilt the ice with his skill. Early this season, though, the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft has been turning heads for a very different reason. The 19-year-old has fit into a checking-line assignment and impressed teammates by leaning into the dirty work, showing a willingness to adapt as he faces top competition and learns the pro game from a defensive angle.
The shift has been especially noticeable in the way Hagens has attacked his role away from the puck. Known more as a point producer, he has embraced playing wing and focusing on defense, and his early work has already stood out across the league. For a Bruins team looking for reasons to believe in its next wave of talent, Hagens is offering one built on effort, maturity and a readiness to do whatever the coaches ask. [Read more 🡒]
Morgan Geekie's Bruins Drought Is Becoming Hard To Ignore
Morgan Geekie was one of the Bruins most productive finishers a year ago, leading the club with 39 goals and quickly becoming one of the more reliable sources of offense in the lineup. This season has looked very different so far, though, with the winger still contributing in other ways through seven assists while his goal total has lagged behind what Boston expected from him.
Geekie has been measured about the dry spell, sticking to a selective shooting approach while also acknowledging the need to be more active in generating offense. The next step is finding more of those chances on his own, particularly when turnovers open the ice, because the Bruins would like their top scorer from last season to start turning looks into goals again. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mittelstadt Is Giving Bruins A Bigger Boost Than Expected
Casey Mittelstadt came into this season with a clear focus after spending the offseason working on his skating, and the early returns have made him look like a more dynamic fit than Boston probably expected. Drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, Mittelstadt has shown improved speed and a steadier game, the kind of progress that can change how a player is used and how much trust a staff is willing to place in him.
Marco Sturm has noticed the difference, praising Mittelstadts pace and consistency while crediting the work he put in over the summer. Mittelstadt has sounded pleased with where his game is headed, too, and the growing chemistry hes building with James Hagens and Elias Lindholm gives the Bruins another useful layer as they continue sorting out their lineup options. [Read more 🡒]