Will the Bruins be looking at another top-10 pick next summer?
Gavin McKenna could be the top prize for the Bruins if they struggle once again in 2025-26. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
July 28, 2025 | 9:28 AM
8 minutes to read
With the NHL offseason hitting a lull, we reached out to Bruins fans on social media for all questions related to the local hockey team.
Let’s dive into our full Bruins offseason mailbag of the year:
Q: Aside from James Hagens, which Bruins prospect is the most intriguing player for you in this upcoming season? — @Marcussi_MA
Thanks for the question! As far as prospects who could make a legitimate impact at the NHL level in 2025-26, I’m all in on Fraser Minten. You can’t find a scout or talent evaluator who won’t talk up his on/off-ice approach, mature game, and coachability.
Not sure if he’s a guy you can pencil in for 20 goals and 50 points per year at his peak, but he has all the makings of a fixture at 3C moving forward. I think there’s a lot to like about his game and what he projects to be at the NHL level.
As far as prospects further down the timeline, I’d be very interested to see how Will Zellers fares as a freshman at the University of North Dakota. If he can continue to land punches in the offensive zone after a breakout year in the USHL (44 goals in 52 games), the Bruins might have a legitimate scoring winger who can slot into a middle-six role in the coming years. I was really impressed with his game during Development Camp.
Q: Should they tank again with a chance of drafting a generational talent like McKenna? If so, who gets dealt at the deadline? — @Bostonguy67
As evidenced by the 2015 NHL Draft where a blatantly tanking Sabres team lost the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, or a 2025 NHL Draft where the Islanders leapfrogged several teams to get Matthew Schaefer, I don’t think it helps any franchise to intentionally tank in hopes of landing the No. 1 prospect on the board, even an elite offensive talent like Gavin McKenna.
While I think there’s a valid case that the Bruins can bounce back and be a fringe Wild-Card team this year if their goaltending/defense rebounds and at least their power play shows signs of life, you can just as easily project Boston to be in the running for another top-10 pick in 2026 if the evident flaws on this team (especially 5-on-5 scoring) resurface.
If that’s the case, the Bruins should be in a position to land at least one blue-chip prospect in what is a much deeper 2026 draft, beyond even McKenna.
If the Bruins do sell off some assets next deadline, I would not be surprised to see players like Viktor Arvidsson, Andrew Peeke, and Pavel Zacha dangled out on the market.
Q: Is this finally the year that the youth movement gets to prove their worth? — @WhitebreadZack
Speaking to Marco Sturm earlier this month, the Bruins’ new head coach seemed to signal that he wants to incorporate more youngsters into the lineup.
Of course, that’s easier said than done on a lineup that is suddenly chock-full of bottom-six NHLers.
One of the priorities for the Bruins in what could be a bridge season should be to get some clarity on which prospects knocking at the door for NHL reps are actually going to be part of this next core.
On Boston’s third line, I’d like to see at least two of those spots allocated to a young center (Minten, perhaps Poitras) and a winger with offensive upside — be it Fabian Lysell or a free-agent pickup like Matej Blumel.
Q: One contract you could undo under Sweeney? Mine is instead of giving Ullmark the NTC [no-trade clause], sign him for whatever the additional value of the clause would be in AAV (assuming Boston was still his biggest suitor that offseason) and prevent him from blocking a trade back in ’24. — @WFozz96
Good question! Ullmark’s NTC did complicate matters, but I think his outright play in net for Boston — coupled with a very digestible $5 million cap hit — still made it a great contract in my book.
I’d go with David Backes, who signed a five-year, $30 million deal back in July 2016. Backes is a great guy and an established veteran leader, but he wasn’t worth that price tag, especially with his production already declining. He ended up only scoring 39 goals and 94 points across 217 games with Boston.
Not only did Boston essentially have to cough up a 2020 first-round pick to get his contract off the books, but that $6 million cap hit could have been utilized elsewhere during some of the final years of the Bergeron-Krejci-Chara-Rask contention window.
It was telling that Backes and his sizable cap hit was a healthy scratch for Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against his former team.
Q: Last few years I’ve been hearing lots of praise for PJ Axelsson for scouting European prospects. Do you have any relationship with him, and what might make him a great scout? — @KumihoKirA
Haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Axelsson, who also spends a great deal of time over seasons as the team’s European Scouting Coordinator.
Axelsson and the rest of Boston’s scouting staff have had a knack over the last few years for identifying some talent and value further down in the draft order — especially when it comes to other Swedish products like Oskar Jellvik (fifth round, 2021) and Loke Johansson (sixth round, 2024).
Q: For the first time in a long time, they have a legitimate top prospect. How do they best develop him without wasting Pastrnak’s prime? — @northernwreck
It’s a delicate balancing act for the Bruins in terms of patiently seeing this rebuild/retool through and restocking their prospect pool … while also not negating the prime years of players like Pastrnak (29 years old), McAvoy (27), and Swayman (26).
As far as James Hagens, I think the right move for Boston in 2025-26 is to send him back to BC for another season.
Rather than have him take his lumps in what could be a bridge year at the NHL level, I’d rather Hagens return to Chesnut Hill as the top dog, dominate at the collegiate level without deferring to linemates like Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, and then make the jump to the NHL ranks in March or April after the Eagles season is over.
This year might be another painful one for Boston.
But, if the Bruins enter 2026-27 with Hagens ready for a featured role, another top prospect (or two) added in the ‘26 drafts, prospects like Zellers, Moore, Locmelis, etc. on the way, and a lot more resources (draft picks, cap space) at their disposal, the future could be bright in Boston after two poor seasons.
Q: Do you think the Bruins will trade [Joonas Korpisalo] at some point this year? — @anquiro_jm
Thanks for the question! We received several questions related to the future of Joonas Korpisalo and Michael DiPietro.
As I noted earlier this offseason, finding a taker for Korpisalo’s contract would seemingly be an effective bit of cap management by Boston — especially with Michael DiPietro back on a 2-year deal.
With Korpisalo’s contract ($3 million cap hit paid by Boston over the next three years) being a bit easier to absorb for other teams given the surging cap ceiling, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bruins continue to pursue a trade.
Ultimately, it all might come down to how DiPietro fares in camp. If he struggles, I don’t think the Bruins have any qualms with rolling with Korpisalo again (hence why I have him in my Opening Night projected lineup).
But, if DiPietro continues to look like the real deal this fall, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bruins once again revisit the trade market for Korpisalo in order to clear some cap room and make room for the younger goalie.
Q: Is the current roster the same one we see opening night? — @shawn_rajotte
Barring a potential goalie trade involving Korpisalo’s contract, I expect this to be the roster Boston moves forward with in 2025-26.
There are still a few intriguing players who have been listed in trade rumors like Marco Rossi or a free agent like Evgeny Kuznetsov, but I’m not sure if the Bruins are inclined to move more draft picks / prospects this summer before seeing what exactly they have this season in what might already be a bridge year.
Q: Any insight on a player like Marco Rossi being linked to the Bruins? They don’t sound like they are very close in Minnesota to getting a deal done. — @Camo0123
Great minds think alike, Shawn! I think Rossi is a very intriguing 2C player whose size might concern some, but the production is there for a skilled pivot.
I still think the Bruins ideally want to avoid moving any of their draft picks for the next few years in order to put this current flawed roster in a position to contend in what could be a bridge year.
That may not be what Bruins fans want to hear, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bruins view this as a year where they *think* they can right the ship by stabilizing their defense and goaltending.
But, if that optimism doesn’t lead to actual results, I also think the Bruins are comfortably staying the course, acquiring more picks and using this bridge season to properly assess which NHLers (Mittelstadt, etc.) and prospects (Poitras, Minten, Lysell) can be part of this next contention window before being more aggressive next offseason once guys like Hagens are ready to contribute.
Q: Who will score 20+ goals next year? — @sfdwyer
I’m going to go with Pastrnak (42 goals), Morgan Geekie (27 goals), and Elias Lindholm (21 goals). That’s all well and good, although all three are also on the same line.
The big question is where the scoring is going to come from further down the depth chart, especially in the bottom six.
The Bruins would love for Arvissson to click with a playmaking center like Mittelstadt and someone like Matej Blumel becoming the next Justin Brazeau as a 15-20 goal scorer. However, that all might be wishful thinking.
Q: If the Bruins could have just one player added to their roster right now, which player would that be and why? – @Patrice_Carson
Connor McDavid.
Jokes aside (not sure he’s leaving Edmonton), I think a player the Bruins desperately need is another legitimate all-situations, top-line center.
If he hits the open market, the Bruins should throw the bag at Jack Eichel next offseason. However, even with his local ties as a North Chelmsford native, I’m not sure Eichel wants to leave a comfy spot with a contender in Vegas — especially now that he could be skating with Mitch Marner the next eigtht years.
Being a bit more realistic, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them keep tabs on Martin Necas going into the final year of his deal with Colorado.
(Have a question you want answered in our next mailbag? Send them along to [email protected], or tweet at me at @ConorRyan_93).
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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