With training camp for the Boston Bruins less than a month away and the season opener now just over a month out - Sept. 29 at TD Garden against the New York Rangers and former goalie Joonas Korpisalo - the conversation is already shifting toward what the 2026-27 Bruins will need if they want to get back to the postseason.
That starts with goals. Boston is going to need a handful of players to take real steps forward, and a few names stand out as the most realistic candidates to push toward the 30-goal mark.
Some are obvious. Others are more of a reach.
But if the Bruins are going to climb back into the playoff picture, this is the kind of scoring ceiling they’ll need to hit.
David Pastrnak sits at the top of the list without much debate. He finished last season with 29 goals, but he also piled up 71 assists and got back over the 100-point line. If anyone on this roster is positioned to turn that 29 into 30 and beyond, it’s Pastrnak.
Morgan Geekie belongs in the same conversation. He led the Bruins with 39 goals last season, and even with the setbacks he dealt with along the way, he was on track to blow past 40.
The question now is whether he can keep building on the rise he’s shown since signing as a free agent a few years ago. Boston needs that answer to be yes.
Pavel Zacha also checks in as a strong bet to get there again. He reached 30 goals last season, and there’s a clear reason to expect urgency this year: it’s a contract year, and his future with the Bruins is still hanging in the air. A spot on the top line with Pastrnak and JJ Peterka could help him boost his scoring even more.
Peterka, acquired from the Utah Mammoth on the night of the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo for two first-round picks, is another name Boston needs in that neighborhood. If he falls short of 30, the Bruins’ path back to the playoffs becomes a lot steeper for Marco Sturm’s team.
There are also a couple of long-shot possibilities worth watching.
Fraser Minten would need to nearly double the 17 goals he scored last season, but the upside is there. Since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in 2025, he’s shown more talent and confidence. If he somehow gets to 30, it would force Don Sweeney to pay up for a rising young center.
Then there’s Elias Lindholm, a name that might feel like a swing, but not an impossible one. He already proved he can do it, scoring 42 goals for the Calgary Flames in 2021-22. If he can get close to 30 in Boston after what he’s shown since signing with the Bruins, that would be a major boost for the club in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Bruins Face A Matthew Poitras Decision As Camp Nears
Training camp is getting closer, and Matthew Poitras still has no contract in place, which leaves the Bruins with a decision to make on one of their more intriguing young forwards. The 22-year-old has been part of the conversation around Bostons next wave, and his situation now sits at an awkward intersection of development, roster planning and timing.
Around the league, the speculation has already started to swirl, with some wondering whether Boston could eventually entertain a trade path rather than let the story linger. A one-year deal would at least give the Bruins a cleaner way to evaluate Poitras on their own terms, while also avoiding the kind of prospect departure that can leave a hole in both the pipeline and the conversation around the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Still Havent Settled The Leadership Question Fans Keep Watching
The Bruins have spent the past stretch without a captain, and the question is still hanging over the club as the 2026-27 season draws closer. Since trading Brad Marchand in March 2025, Boston has leaned on a leadership group instead of handing the role to one player, with alternate captains David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm carrying much of the responsibility last season.
President Cam Neely said the organization values leadership from several voices rather than putting everything on a single badge, and the issue is set to be revisited with general manager Don Sweeney and coach Marco Sturm. If the Bruins do decide it is time to go back to naming a captain, Pastrnak and McAvoy remain the names most people around the team are watching most closely. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Blue Line Battle Could Decide If This Defense Is Really Fixed
A crowded blue line is one of the more interesting storylines hanging over Bruins camp, and it is going to be impossible to ignore once the skates get going. Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov give Boston a sturdy top layer, but the rest of the group is packed with players trying to prove they belong, including Mason Lohrei, Jonathan Aspirot, Will Borgen and Connor Clifton.
For a team that spent last season trying to clean up its defensive play, the challenge is not just finding six defensemen who can handle NHL minutes. It is sorting out which combinations make the group better, which players fit the roles Boston needs most and how much risk the Bruins are willing to take in trimming the roster when camp pressure starts to rise. [Read more 🡒]