{"id":97810,"date":"2025-07-27T22:27:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T22:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/97810\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T22:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T22:27:15","slug":"predicting-the-bruins-2025-26-opening-night-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/97810\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting the Bruins’ 2025-26 Opening Night lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBruins\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Bruins have plenty of question marks surrounding their bottom-six grouping.<\/p>\n

\"Boston
\n\tMorgan Geekie and David Pastrnak are both expected to slot in on Boston’s top line. Danielle Parhizkaran\/The Boston Globe\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Conor Ryan<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 27, 2025 | 4:52 PM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

7 minutes to read<\/p>\n

There are still more than two months to go before the Bruins open their 2025-26 campaign on Oct. 8 against the Washington Capitals.<\/p>\n

But, with Boston allocating a majority of its cap space on the first day of free agency on July 1, the Bruins\u2019 depth chart is log-jammed, especially when it comes to bottom-six skaters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Bruins have several lineup questions that must be addressed in the coming months, be it sorting out the glut of skaters on the third and fourth lines or determining which youngsters will get an extended run at the NHL level.<\/p>\n

Knowing full well that the grouping that takes to the ice at Capital One Arena on Oct. 8 will likely look far different from this current projection, here\u2019s our best guess at Boston\u2019s Opening Night lineup:<\/p>\n

FORWARDS<\/p>\n

Morgan Geekie \u2013 Elias Lindholm \u2013 David Pastrnak<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marco Sturm didn\u2019t mince words earlier this month when asked about Boston\u2019s firepower in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Even if Boston\u2019s coaching staff is banking on a bounce-back from the power play, consistent 5-on-5 scoring is going to be hard to come by.<\/a><\/p>\n

As such, it should come as little surprise if Sturm and his staff opt to keep together one of the few solid groupings from a miserable 2024-25 season as their top line.<\/p>\n

Even if Elias Lindholm\u2019s first season in Boston left a lot to be desired (47 points in 82 games), he settled into a groove down the stretch with two wingers who forged plenty of chemistry last winter in David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.<\/p>\n

Lindholm closed out the year with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) over his final 17 games of the season.<\/p>\n

After the trade deadline on March 7, the Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak line logged 78 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, per Natural Stat Trick. <\/a>And over that stretch, the Bruins had a 47-29 edge in shots, a 53-29 advantage in scoring chances and outscored opponents, 16-2. That\u2019s a 5-on-5 buzzsaw to close out the year.<\/p>\n

Pastrnak is the straw that stirs the drink for an often-outgunned Bruins offense. The case can be made that 2024-25 was the superstar winger\u2019s best season, considering he scored 43 goals and still posted 106 points on an underwhelming roster.<\/p>\n

So long as No. 88 is healthy and hopping over the boards, the Bruins will have an on-ice cheat code in the offensive zone.<\/p>\n

The Bruins are also expecting Geekie\u2019s breakout season (33 goals, 57 points) to be more of the norm after handing him a six-year, $33 million contract last month. Even if his high shooting percentage (22.0) raises concerns of some regression, Geekie could still be a 25-goal regular riding shotgun with Pastrnak.<\/p>\n

Pavel Zacha \u2013 Casey Mittelstadt \u2013 Viktor Arvidsson<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot will fall on Mittelstadt\u2019s shoulders when it comes to just how potent Boston\u2019s top-six offense can be next season.<\/p>\n

Boston acquired the 26-year-old pivot from Colorado in the Charlie Coyle deal in hopes that the former top-10 pick\u2019s skating and playmaking would add a different wrinkle to Boston\u2019s forward corps.<\/p>\n

The results last spring were underwhelming, with Mittelstadt scoring four goals and six total points over his 18 games with Boston.<\/p>\n

Granted, Mittelstadt also primarily skated on a line with Cole Koepke and Vinni Letieri last year, which might have sapped some of his scoring production as a pass-first pivot.<\/p>\n

Mittelstadt will look to recoup his value skating next to Zacha \u2014 who has averaged 54 points per season since joining Boston \u2014 and Boston\u2019s new trade pickup in Arvidsson.<\/p>\n

Arvidsson had a season to forget with the Oilers (15 goals, 27 points). But the speedy, shot-first winger has five 20-goal seasons on his resume, and could be a good linemate to pair with a center like Mittelstadt.<\/a><\/p>\n

Tanner Jeannot \u2013 Fraser Minten \u2013 Matej Blumel<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are approximately 6,000 different combinations Sturm could roll out next season when it comes to putting the pieces together in the bottom-six grouping.<\/p>\n

For our projection, we\u2019ll go with Boston giving one youngster an extended look on opening night \u2014 as well as rolling the dice on an intriguing free agent pickup.<\/p>\n

The one safe bet for the third line might be Jeannot, given that Boston signed him to a five-year, $17 million contract on July 1.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeannot should be as advertised as a bruising winger who is more than willing to drop the gloves. But, it might be asking a lot for the forward to replicate the 24-goal season he put forward in 2021-22.<\/p>\n

At center, the Bruins could slot in more of a veteran skater like Sean Kuraly, especially if they want to carve out more reps for youngsters like Johnny Beecher and Marat Khusnutdinov on the fourth line.<\/p>\n

But, in this projection, we have Fraser Minten winning the 3C job out of camp, with the 21-year-old pivot\u2019s two-way game, hockey smarts, and versatile skillset making him a logical long-term fit at this spot in the lineup.<\/p>\n

There are several candidates who could push for the 3RW spot. This would serve as an ideal spot for a prospect like Fabian Lysell to earn a full-time role, while even Matt Poitras could make a push here (even if he\u2019s\u00a0better suited playing down the middle.<\/p>\n

But, with Boston in need of some scoring punch and a shot-first approach, we have free-agent pickup Matej Blumel \u2014 who scored 39 goals in 67 games with the AHL\u2019s Texas Stars last season\u00a0\u2014 winning the job out of camp.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised if New Hampshire product and fellow AHL standout Alex Steeves \u2014 who lit the lamp 36 times in 59 games for the Toronto Marlies \u2014 also makes a push.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mikey Eyssimont \u2013 Sean Kuraly \u2013 Mark Kastelic<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear if the Bruins have the firepower up front to regularly light the lamp.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, they should have the personnel in place to land some welts with regularity, especially further down the lineup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even though Boston could turn to younger players like Beecher or Khusnutdinov here, this trio of Eyssimont, Kuraly, and Kastelic would provide both stability and snarl to the bottom of the Bruins\u2019 depth chart.<\/p>\n

Even at 32, Kuraly is still largely as advertised as a fleet-footed, two-way 4C, while a healthy Kastelic showcased just how effective he could be last season as a forechecking menace who\u2019s more than willing to drop the gloves.<\/p>\n

Eyssimont should ingratiate himself to Bruins fans in short order. Beyond his knack for pestering opponents on the ice, Eyssimont blends that antagonistic mindset with a shot-heavy approach that should be welcomed in Sturm\u2019s system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DEFENSE<\/p>\n

Mason Lohrei \u2013 Charlie McAvoy<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the Bruins want to right the ship in 2025-26, they\u2019re going to need their defense and goaltending to make an about-face from a miserable showing last year.<\/p>\n

And with the Bruins in need of some stability in the D-zone, it wouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise if Sturm and Co. opted to pair together Boston\u2019s top-two defenseman in Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, there\u2019s a valid case to be made that Boston\u2019s D is at its best when both McAvoy and Lindholm are tasked with driving their own D pairings, rather than Boston putting all of their eggs in one basket on the blue line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The presence of Mason Lohrei also complicates things. While the consensus might be that a raw defensive product like Lohrei should be handed sheltered minutes further down on the depth chart, Lohrei has struggled when slotted next to Andrew Peeke.<\/p>\n

In the 596 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time<\/a> that Lohrei and Peeke have logged together over the last two years, the Bruins have been out-attempted, 644-523, and outscored, 34-21. Yikes.<\/p>\n

As the Bruins try to steady Lohrei\u2019s game, slotting him next to McAvoy and tasking him with being a crisp puck-mover as opposed to an O-zone risk taker might be the best course.<\/p>\n

The Bruins do hold a positive goal differential (20-18) in the 443:48 of 5-on-5 ice time that McAvoy and Lohrei have logged together.<\/p>\n

Hampus Lindholm \u2013 Andrew Peeke<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Lohrei slotted up with McAvoy, Lindholm is once again tasked with anchoring his own D pairing, this time alongside Peeke.<\/p>\n

The return of Lindholm \u2014 who was limited to just 17 games this past season due to a fractured kneecap \u2014 is a welcome sight on a Bruins D corps that missed his ability to log heavy minutes, ferry the puck out of the D-zone, and potentially run the top power-play grouping.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After spending plenty of time skating alongside another stay-at-home D in Brandon Carlo, Peeke offers a similar skillset that could complement Lindholm\u2019s play style.<\/p>\n

Nikita Zadorov \u2013 Henri Jokiharju<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite some penalty issues early on, Zadorov was largely as advertised in 2024-25 as a physical D-man with underrated puck-moving skills and a willingness to assume more of a leadership role.<\/p>\n

The return of Jokiharju on a three-year, $9 million contract should be a welcome sight for Zadorov, as the duo was one of the few bright spots down the stretch this past spring.<\/p>\n

In the 273:39 of 5-on-5 ice time that Zadorov and Jokiharju logged together last season, Boston held a 12-5 edge on goals scored.<\/p>\n

GOALTENDERS<\/p>\n

Jeremy Swayman\u00a0
Joonas Korpisalo<\/strong><\/p>\n

The return of reigning AHL Goaltender of the Year Michael DiPietro on a two-year deal raised eyebrows that the Bruins might opt to dangle Joonas Korpisalo on the trade market<\/a> in order to both free up cap space and elevate DiPietro into a backup role.<\/p>\n

But with no trade struck so far for Korpisalo, the Bruins seem comfortable moving forward with the veteran \u2014 especially if the team intends on lowering Swayman\u2019s workload after a lackluster 2024-25 campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoonas was honest at the end of the year in saying that he believed we should have utilized him more,\u201d Don Sweeney said in July. \u201cAnd especially maybe when Jeremy was struggling, and I was honest \u2014 I didn\u2019t disagree with him. And we\u2019ve gone over that as a staff to recognize that when a player is playing well enough, maybe he deserves the net.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of who it is, in Michael\u2019s case, he had a tremendous year. He was AHL goalie of the year. We felt that, him still being young enough, there\u2019s, there\u2019s growth potential in Michael as well. Michael comes and pushes \u2014 maybe it makes the decision even harder for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.<\/p>\n

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