by Bob Morello
Bruins Put The Wraps on The 2025-26 Season
After a rewarding regular season that garnered the Bruins 100 points, and a disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs, the 2025-26 season has come to a crashing end. Highlights included the 100-point season from David Pastrnak, the return of Jeremy Swayman playing well enough to earn a spot in the selection of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy (best regular season goaltender), and the surprising play of some of the recent and new roster additions, Fraser Minten, Viktor Arvidsson, Tanner Jeannot, Mikey Eyssimont, Marat Khusnutdinov, Casey Mittelstadt, and the emergence of former Boston College’s James Hagen making his debut. Hagen showed streaks of a promising future, and is headed to the IIHL World Championship in Switzerland as a member of Team USA. It was a season that saw Marco Sturm take the reins and do a decent job as rookie coach for the Bruins. A tough season that ended with a lengthy list of players, likely needing surgery: Pastrnak (groin), Elias Lindholm (back), Hampus Lindholm (foot), Nikita Zadorov (MCL), and Charlie McAvoy (broken hand). McAvoy is also scheduled to appear for a disciplinary hearing before NHL Player Safety on Monday, facing a possible suspension for his two-handed slash to the body of Zach Benson during Friday’s Game 6 loss to Buffalo. If McAvoy is suspended, it will take effect at the beginning of the 2026-27 season. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will head into the off-season with a cap space of around $16 million, and will likely use some of that to consider retaining free agents, Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peeke, while seeking out a possible high-end forward, and a solid blue liner.