Bruins season preview: Seek more offense with help from Hagens, Peterka

The 2026-27 NHL regular season begins Sept. 29. Leading up to the season opener, NHL.com is identifying six things to watch for each team. Today, the Boston Bruins.

Last season: 45-27-10, fourth in Atlantic Division; lost in Eastern Conference First Round

Coach: Marco Sturm (second season)

Biggest challenge

At the start of last season, there were serious questions about how much the Bruins would score. Their lineup seemed top heavy, without the depth that might be needed for an offense good enough to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Instead, they ended up 10th in the NHL, averaging 3.27 goals per game. But those numbers relied on career seasons for players like Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie and Charlie McAvoy and bounce backs for Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson. So, with Boston replacing Arvidsson with JJ Peterka and adding little else to its offense, the questions remain about how much and who will score. It all worked out in 2025-26, but will it in 2026-27?

How they make playoffs

Much like last season, this probably mostly comes down to goalie Jeremy Swayman. His bounce-back season after a disappointing 2024-25 was the single biggest reason the Bruins ended up back in the playoffs. So, there's pressure on Swayman to replicate a season when he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after going 31-18-4 with a 2.71 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and two shutouts. In front of him, the big question is whether some young players make the jump, the way Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov did last season. If they do, the Bruins could end up with the wild card out of a very competitive Atlantic Division. If they don't, it could be a step back.

Most intriguing addition

When the Bruins traded two first-round picks (2026, 2028) to the Utah Mammoth for Peterka on June 26, it was a move filled with potential. Peterka, who had not quite fit in with Utah after playing his first three full seasons for the Buffalo Sabres, has everything the Bruins were looking for -- speed and skill and goal-scoring ability, all in a player who is still young enough (24) to get better. Peterka also has a connection with Bruins new assistant coach Matt McIlvane and a shared heritage with Sturm, which both sides believe will lead to an uptick in production for a player who had 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games in 2024-25 before slipping to 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games last season.

Biggest potential surprise

Minten could skate the majority of the season as the No. 1 center. The Bruins are light in center depth, with Elias Lindholm having struggled with back problems since he arrived in Boston two seasons ago. Zacha is coming off a career season, but he's better suited as the second-line center back with Mittelstadt, a line that's created terrific chemistry. As a rookie, Minten gained the trust of Sturm, who came to rely on the then-21 year old, a trust that was magnified when the Bruins signed him to a seven-year, $50.4 million contract (average annual value of $7.2 million) on Tuesday that begins next season. Although Minten shows up on the third line in most projections, he could surprise by rising up to the top line.

Ready to contribute

Bruins fans got a quick glimpse of James Hagens at the tail end of the 2025-26 season, with the forward playing two regular season games and three postseason games after he left Boston College. The 19-year-old could start his NHL career on the wing, though the Bruins hope he eventually moves to center, where he can demonstrate the skill, hockey sense and ability to generate offense that convinced Boston to take him with the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, making him its first top 10 pick since Dougie Hamilton (No. 9) in 2011.

Fantasy sleeper with EDGE stats

Minten, F: Acquired by the Bruins in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 7, 2025, Minten was tied for third among rookies last season in even-strength goals (16; behind Beckett Sennecke's 21 and Oliver Kapanen's 20) and tied for eighth in his class in goals (17) and points (35) in his first full season with Boston. Minten, who turned 22 on July 5, was also a category coverage specialist; he was the only rookie in the League with at least 35 points, 100 hits (142) and 50 blocks (51) last season. He could take another step offensively on Boston's top nine and its second power-play unit with exposure to talented forwards in Peterka and Hagens. Per NHL EDGE stats, Minten was in the 89th percentile among forwards in mid-range goals (nine) last season and also ranked highly in 22-plus mph speed bursts (nine; 87th percentile). He also showed chemistry with elite forward David Pastrnak (eight of Minten's 17 goals were assisted by Pastrnak last season), making him a potential late-round fantasy steal (going undrafted on average for 2026-27). -- Troy Perlowitz

Projected lineup

JJ Peterka -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak

Marat Khusnutdinov -- Elias Lindholm -- Morgan Geekie

Casey Mittelstadt -- Fraser Minten -- James Hagens

Tanner Jeannot -- Sean Kuraly -- Mark Kastelic 

Jonathan Aspirot -- Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm -- Will Borgen

Nikita Zadorov -- Connor Clifton

Jeremy Swayman

Michael DiPietro