We’re now reaching the halfway point of The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash series with the Boston Bruins at No. 17.
In these summer splash rankings, we’re looking at every team’s roster additions, departures, hirings and firings to see who improved, got worse and stayed largely the same.
You can see which teams finished below the Bruins at the bottom. But before we get to that point, we’re going to break down the state of the Bruins.
Additions
Viktor Arvidsson (RW), Tanner Jeannot (LW), Sean Kuraly (LW), Michael Eyssimont (LW), Alex Steeves (C), Jordan Harris (D)
The Breakdown:The Bruins fell to pieces last year, posting an 8-9-3 record out of the gate, and they never really recovered from it.
Once Boston GM Don Sweeney finished moving out some cornerstone pieces – including Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo and Florida Panthers left winger Brad Marchand – there was the bleak reality that this Bruins team is too streaky. When you post a 10-game losing streak in the tail end of your schedule, it’s safe to say there are some fundamental issues with this team.
Now, Sweeney and the Bruins acted to employ as many physically ornery players as possible to exact a toll on opponents night in and night out. Arvidsson, Jeannot, Kuraly and Eyssimont all welcome a physical game, and new Bruins coach Marco Sturm will deploy them to make opponents' lives miserable.
That said, these additions likely won’t propel the Bruins back into the playoffs. With these peripheral additions, Sweeney has doubled down on his core, featuring superstar right winger David Pastrnak, defensemen Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov and Hampus Lindholm, and goalie Jeremy Swayman.
If the Bruins expect adding so-called “character players” will punish opponents enough to win 45 games and make the playoffs, we’re not nearly so confident that will come to pass. That said, they fill in some of the gaps from the players who left at the trade deadline to ensure this team doesn’t finish at the bottom of the Atlantic Division again.
Departures
Vinni Lettieri (C), Cole Koepke (LW), Parker Wotherspoon (D), Jakub Lauko (C), Oliver Wahlstrom (RW), Tyler Pitlick (C)
The Breakdown: The Bruins did most of their roster remodelling last year, and what’s left now is a team with not a lot of depth but is still close to the salary cap ceiling. They now have about $2 million to make another addition, but letting go of fringe players doesn’t move the needle. Sweeney has chosen to have cap flexibility over low-ranking players sticking around on relatively lucrative terms.
Lettieri moved on to the Maple Leafs, Koepke joined the Winnipeg Jets, Wotherspoon became a Pittsburgh Penguin, Lauko signed in Czechia, Wahlstrom is a UFA and Pitlick signed with the Minnesota Wild. With all due respect, these players didn’t do enough this past season to either warrant a full-time job or a notable role on the squad.
The Bottom Line
In the big picture, the Bruins have improved on paper compared to the end-of-season roster, but not to any great degree.
Yes, adding sandpaper to the team will likely have a positive effect on Boston’s game. The problem is that the Bruins are playing in the Atlantic Division, which many see as the strongest division in the NHL.
Every team in the Atlantic has designs on a playoff spot next year. Whether it’s the Ottawa Senators wanting to follow up their core’s solid season last year with a second straight playoff appearance, or whether it’s the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings all aching to be a post-season team next year, all eight Atlantic teams want to win and win now. So, there are clearly going to be some Atlantic teams that disappoint, and we fear that may be the case for Boston in 2025-26. Their goaltending was suddenly suspect, their pipeline hasn’t fed the main roster with many big-impact players, and veteran players like center Elias Lindholm don’t appear capable of stepping up with more offense.
Sure, the Bruins are going to be a pain in the rear end to deal with next season, but that doesn’t make them capable of pulling out of last season’s tailspin and proving that the 2024-25 campaign was merely a momentary blip on the radar for Boston. But it’s equally likely, if not more so, that the Bruins find out the hard way that, once you’re out of the playoff picture, it’s rather difficult to get back in.
And as for our summer splash rankings, Boston is squarely in “ho-hum” territory. Time may prove us wrong, but the Bruins don’t look like a playoff team after the changes Sweeney has made. And their entire off-season has been little more than a shoulder shrug.
Summer Splash Rankings
17. Boston Bruins
18. Edmonton Oilers
19. Minnesota Wild
20. Seattle Kraken
21. Columbus Blue Jackets
22. Washington Capitals
23. Nashville Predators
24. New York Islanders
25. Tampa Bay Lightning
26. Toronto Maple Leafs
27. Dallas Stars
28. Calgary Flames
29. Los Angeles Kings
30. Winnipeg Jets
31. Chicago Blackhawks
32. Buffalo Sabres
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