Bruins hire Sturm, add forward depth after finishing last in Atlantic Division

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2025-26 regular season, which starts Oct. 7. Today, the Boston Bruins:

2024-25 season: 33-39-10, eighth in Atlantic Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Tanner Jeannot, F: The Bruins signed the 28-year-old to a five-year, $17 million contract ($3.4 million average annual value) on July 1 with an eye toward being harder to play against than they found themselves last season. He spent last season with the Los Angeles Kings, finishing with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 67 games. … Viktor Arvidsson, F: Acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1 for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, Arvidsson, 32, had 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists) in 67 regular-season games and seven points (two goals, five assists) in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season. … Sean Kuraly, F: The 32-year-old signed a two-year, $3.7 million contract ($1.85 million AAV) for the team with whom he started his NHL career and played for from 2016-21. He had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 82 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. … Michael Eyssimont, F: The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $2.9 million deal ($1.85 million AAV) with the Bruins on July 1 after putting up 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 77 games with the Seattle Kraken and Tampa Bay Lightning last season. … Marco Sturm, coach: Sturm, who played for the Bruins from 2005-2010, was hired to replace interim coach Joe Sacco on June 5. Sacco had been serving as coach since the firing of Jim Montgomery on Nov. 19. It will be the first NHL head coaching job for Sturm, who coached the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate for the past three seasons and was an assistant coach with the Kings from 2018-22.

Key departures

Jakub Lauko, F: The Bruins did not extend a qualifying offer to Lauko, who they reacquired in the trade that sent Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild on March 6. Lauko had five points (two goals, three assists) in 18 games with the Bruins after the trade. … Parker Wotherspoon, D: He played 55 games for the Bruins while they went through a spate of injuries on the back end. He had seven points (one goal, six assists) last season and signed a two-year, $2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1.

On the cusp

Fraser Minten, F: The 21-year-old has 25 games of NHL experience to his name (three goals, two assists), including scoring one goal in six games last season with the Bruins after he was acquired as part of the deal that sent Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 7. The center could make the jump to the Bruins as soon as this season, with their third-line center spot potentially up for grabs. He had 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 37 AHL games last season. … Fabian Lysell, F: The 22-year-old has been on the cusp for a few years, but maybe this is the year he breaks through for the Bruins. Selected with the No. 21 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Lysell had three points (one goal, two assists) in 12 games with Boston last season, and 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 52 AHL games. The forward has skill but has yet to take the steps he needs to become an NHL regular. … James Hagens, F: The most likely scenario has the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft heading back to Boston College this fall, but Hagens has yet to state definitively that he’s ticketed for his sophomore season. He clearly wants to jump to the NHL as soon as possible, and the Bruins certainly could use the talent and skill the center possesses. If all goes well, Hagens should at least make the big club by April, as former linemates Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) and Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) did this past season. … Matej Blumel, F: The Bruins made an under-the-radar signing on July 1, inking former Dallas Stars prospect Blumel to a one-year, $875,000 contract. The 25-year-old Czech forward has just two goals in 13 NHL games but put up 72 points (39 goals, 33 assists) in 67 games with Texas of the AHL last season. On a team starved for offense, the Bruins could give Blumel a real shot to make the jump in 2025-26.

What they still need

Scoring. The Bruins did add to their nastiness and grit with their July 1 signings and acquisitions, with players like Arvidsson, Jeannot, Kuraly and Eyssimont. What they did not add was scoring depth and they will be extremely thin where it comes to players who can reliably get the puck past goalies. Beyond David Pastrnak, who had 106 points (43 goals, 63 assists) and Morgan Geekie, who had a career year with 57 points (33 goals, 24 assists), no Bruins player had more than 47 points or 17 goals last season. That’s simply not enough to compete in a division like the Atlantic.

They said it

“At times last year, even when we had our group, we were an easy out. I can’t stand for that. So, we are going to reestablish that.” -- general manager Don Sweeney

EDGE stat to watch

Boston's forwards were tied for fourth in 90-plus mph shot attempts last season (25), with Pastrnak (13; tied for fourth) and Geekie (10; tied for fifth) each ranking highly at the position. At 5-on-5, Pastrnak led the NHL in points (66), assists (41) and primary assists (30). Geekie was tied for second in 5-on-5 goals (26) behind Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres (33). -- Chris Meaney

Fantasy spin

Regardless of whether Hagens plays for the Bruins this season, his fantasy stock is booming in keeper and dynasty leagues. With Boston lacking an elite No. 1 center and having one of the NHL's top five right wings in Pastrnak, the stage is set for Hagens to make an impact in the years to come. Among 25-and-younger players, Hagens should be considered a top 15 center in long-term formats. -- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Morgan Geekie – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak

Pavel Zacha – Casey Mittelstadt – Viktor Arvidsson

Tanner Jeannot – Matthew Poitras – Marat Khusnutdinov

John Beecher – Sean Kuraly – Michael Eyssimont

Mason Lohrei – Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm – Henri Jokiharju

Nikita Zadorov – Andrew Peeke

Jeremy Swayman

Joonas Korpisalo