Previewing the positional battles coming up at Bruins training camp

It's a new era for the Boston Bruins.

From new (and first time) NHL head coach Marco Sturm to the lack of a captain, and with one of the youngest rosters in the entire NHL, the Bruins are opening camp with the blankest canvas they've had in perhaps a decade. If not longer.

"I told the guys today, this is a day I was looking forward to for a long time," Sturm, who is coming to the B's after spending the last three years as AHL Ontario's head coach, said. "Now it's actually happening. So, I'm really happy and excited about that [and] to get things going tomorrow and do what I'd love to do, which is go on the ice with my players, with my staff, and get to work.” 

And with that in mind, there's no shortage of camp battles that'll get underway right off the jump beginning with Thursday's first on-ice session.

“Well, I mean, there's 46 spots that a guy gets to play pretty consistently. Injuries, you get through camp, and if a player beats another player, one might be exposed to waivers, so, there's plenty of opportunity for players to insert themselves and earn a role, but they have to do that," B's general manager Don Sweeney said. "They have to come in and take that job at either level to tell you the truth. But as I said before, we're not in the business of keeping players ready to help us at the NHL level out of that and not give them that opportunity to have success.” 

So, where will the battles take place throughout a training camp and a six-game preseason ahead of an Opening Night that's just a few weeks away?

Contenders: Casey Mittelstadt, Matt Poitras, and Pavel Zacha.

Given their late-season surge, the Bruins will almost certainly stick with a top line that features Elias Lindholm between Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak. But below that line, there's a whole lot of uncertainty on line two, and it really begins in the middle without a clear-cut leader for that second-line center gig. Instead, it feels like it could go one of two ways, with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha considered the current favorites for the role for Sturm's club.

In the case of Zacha, it's now been two straight years of Zacha playing more center than wing after the Czech-born forward began his Bruins career as a highly effective wing opposite David Pastrnak. And though last season's 47-point output was Zacha's worst as a Bruin — he had bad shooting luck early and played through an injury late in the season — this is still a player who Sturm clearly likes. Even if he himself is unsure as to how he wants to utilize him out of the gate.

"I love [Zacha] as a centerman, absolutely love him, but he might have to play on the wing, I don't know," Sturm admitted. "I can look all summer long at clips, but I’ve got to stand behind the bench, I’ve got to see it in practice, I’ve got to see it behind the bench, I’ve got to feel it. And I can tell you right away, when I see Zacha for example, when he plays wing or centerman, I can see right away. I can tell you what's the best not just for him, but for us as a team, and as a line where he's in to get the best opportunity.” 

Mittelstadt, meanwhile, will look to re-establish his game after moving from Colorado to Boston at the deadline, and putting up four goals and six points in 18 games with the Bruins and just 40 points in total between the Avs and Bruins.

“It probably starts with confidence, coming in now, knowing the players and what his role is, rather than just joining a team that was in the opposite direction than the team he was leaving last year," Sweeney said of Mittelstadt entering 2025-26. "I think it will be very good for Casey. He had a good offseason. He's ready to go.

"He knows that production is part of why we acquired him and being able to be creative and drive offense for us. He knows it. He wants it and is looking forward to the opportunity that he’s going to have.” 

Both of these players seem to project as second-line talents for the Bruins in 2025-26, and it may very well come down to who Sturm views as a 'driver' of that line and perhaps who has the better shot on the wing. Of the two, Zacha's shot is certainly more potent, and it's something that the Bruins always want him to utilize more frequently. That alone may make him a better fit for the wing, where he let it fly off the rush a little bit easier, especially if the line is going to have a net-front type like Viktor Arvidsson at right wing.

That said, Matt Poitras is also an intriguing option for this spot if he can have a good camp. Given the skill-set Poitras possesses, it makes the most sense to utilize him in a role where the offensive-zone exposure is at a high.

The Bruins were also extremely happy with how the 21-year-old finished his season, with eight goals and 20 points in his final 16 AHL games of the season, as well as a playoff run that featured two goals and four points in eight games. 

Contenders: Viktor Arvidsson, Matej Blumel, Morgan Geekie, and Fabian Lysell.

Elsewhere on the second line, the Bruins are going to have to figure out who it was that'll serve as the right wing option below Pastrnak on the depth chart. As of right now, it appears that the veteran Viktor Arvidsson (15 goals and 27 points in Edmonton last year) will get the first crack based on his unique blend of skills.

“Goal scoring and interior play, competitiveness on puck, shot volume, commitment to get to the blue paint, power play, production and leadership. I think all of the above, there's a familiarity with Marco [Sturm] that you know should give him a leg up in some in some regard, comfort level," Sweeney said of Arvidsson's game. "He's been on some really good teams, competitive teams, and he's moved to another one. So ultimately, I think Arvi is excited about the opportunity and who he gets a chance to play with. He's playing in a top six role to start out, so we have to have to have production come with that.” 

It really feels like this is Arvidsson's gig to lose. So what happens if it plays out that way for whatever reason in training camp? While it may not be the best move for the individuals given their connection and obvious chemistry on Boston's top line, you'd also have to wonder if Sturm considers splitting Geekie and Pastrnak up in an effort to spread the wealth a bit and putting Geekie here after his career-high 33 goals and 57 points for the Bruins in 2024-25.

Other options here include 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell (three points in his final four NHL games last season), as well as Matej Blumel following Blumel's AHL-leading 38 goals for Texas last season.

Contenders: Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, and Matt Poitras.

What the Bruins do here is a sneaky-fascinating battle to watch play out in training camp, especially because we really don't know how Sturm wants to build out his third line. If we're building it today, we can probably assume that Tanner Jeannot is part of it. But what else do we know about it? Is it a line that the Bruins are going to look at as a secondary scoring line? Will it be more of a shutdown line? Is it Jeannot potentially babysitting two younger players as a veteran presence who can 'make them feel bigger' out there given his physicality?

Assuming they want some scoring out of this line, you have to look at players like Poitras, and even Marat Khusnutdinov. When the Bruins acquired Khusnutdinov from Minnesota at last year's deadline, the two big changes they made with him were painfully apparent: They gave him more offensive-zone time than Minnesota had, and they moved him from center to wing. He is a natural center, though, so maybe the Bruins give him a little run in the middle with this new coaching staff.

But the X-factor here may very well be Fraser Minten.

Acquired from Toronto in the trade that sent Brandon Carlo to the Maple Leafs, Minten is a player whose game and work ethic has drawn comparisons to Charlie Coyle. Coyle, of course, played his best hockey on Boston's third line, and had a bit more two-way jam to his game than people often realized. If this is a line that the Bruins want to trust in all three zones, while also committing themselves to dealing with growing pains, Minten may be the play here.

Contenders: Matej Blumel, Mikey Eyssimont, Fabian Lysell, Matt Poitras, and Alex Steeves.

Again, complexion is everything with this line and who wins the gig. But this feels like a spot that's perfect for a secondary scorer that simply needs to sink or swim at the NHL level, but begin that quest with favorable matchups in the attacking zone. It really feels like a take your pick with Blumel, Lysell, and Alex Steeves (his 36 goals were second-most in the AHL last season) all obvious contenders for this spot. It could even go to someone like Poitras, who has played some right wing in his NHL career and may have to given the center depth here. If the B's go for snarl and tenacity, though, you can't sleep on someone like Mikey Eyssimont, who had a career-high 11 goals and 25 points for the Lightning in 2023-24.

Contenders: Johnny Beecher, John Farinacci, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, and Dans Locmelis.

The Bruins have no shortage of options at this spot. Veterans like Mark Kastelic and Sean Kuraly are both dependable players who leave little to the imagination when it comes to what you're going to get out them on a nightly basis. Their faceoff success also gives them a significant leg up on the competition, and they may very well split duties here depending on the center they're going up against most nights, with Kuraly being a lefty and Kastelic a righty.

But it'll also be interesting to see if younger players such as Dans Locmelis and John Farinacci can make some inroads here. Farinacci has been an impressive utility player of sorts, both in role and position, since turning pro, while Locmelis is a player who has consistently exceeded expectations in the last couple of years.

Contenders: Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, and Nikita Zadorov.

Should we start with the good news or the bad news? Well, the bad news is that the Bruins have no clue who will play to the left of Charlie McAvoy on their top defensive pairing this season. But the good news for the Bruins here is that the three contenders all have considerable experience playing with McAvoy, making this a much easier battle in terms of the chemistry-building side of things.

Now, if the Bruins had it their way, putting Mason Lohrei to the left of McAvoy may be their preferred move, as it would seemingly disrupt the rest of the Boston defense the least. (Sweeney loves to use the term 'upset the apple cart' and it feels like this is an example of that.) But can Lohrei hang when going against the elite matchups that the Bruins will want to throw out there against McAvoy?

The Bruins could also go for the 'load up' with Hampus Lindholm to McAvoy's left. This was a favorite of former Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy when the B's first acquired Lindholm, and the results with the Lindholm-McAvoy pairing together have always been strong no matter the man behind the bench for Boston. But, again, does that leave the Bruins too thin below their top pairing?

And then there's Nikita Zadorov, who feels like the perfect hammer to put to the left of McAvoy, and a player who could prove to be a perfect fit for Sturm.

McAvoy, for what it's worth, has always thrived with a defenseman who can give him some clean D-to-D passes to spark the rush the other way. The Bruins are making some system tweaks after last year's nightmarish season, and it feels like the Bruins are going to have to get more out of their defensemen in 2025-26, perhaps making that the top priority when it comes to 'LD1' in camp.

Contenders: Michael Callahan, Jordan Harris, and Victor Soderstrom.

Far from a sexy battle, I know, but it'll be interesting to see just who can emerge as the top 'next man up' for the Bruins in camp.

In action for 17 NHL games last season, the Franklin, Mass. native Michael Callahan recorded one goal, along with eight hits and 12 blocks, for the B's. A left shot, Callahan spent some of this past offseason working on the right side in an attempt to further diversify his game and potential value to the Bruins.

Harris, meanwhile, is a Haverhill, Mass. native and has been skating at Warrior and with B's players since before he even officially signed with the club on July 1. Harris, another lefty-shooting defender, has a potential leg up in the sense that he has significant NHL experience to his name, with 164 games of NHL experience over the last four seasons between Montreal and Columbus.

And then there's Soderstrom.

Acquired from the Blackhawks, the Bruins were actually able to successfully lure the Swedish defenseman to leave his hometown club and give the NHL another try.  In action for 49 games in Sweden last season, Soderstrom posted nine goals and 37 points, along with a plus-28 rating (best in the SHL), and then posted eight games in a 17-game postseason run for the squad. Soderstrom also won the Börje Salming Trophy as the league's top defenseman. The 11th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, the righty Soderstrom played 53 NHL games with Arizona before leaving for Sweden following the franchise's move from Arizona to Utah.

Contenders: Michael DiPietro and Joonas Korpisalo.

This one might ultimately prove to be the most interesting battle in training camp.

Let's just go over it all again real quickly here: Last year's Jeremy Swayman contract drama was a nightmare. Across the board. And its impact went beyond just the worst season of Swayman’s NHL career. It also led to frustration from Joonas Korpisalo, who felt that he did not get enough starts, and was thus unable to get into rhythm for the Bruins. (He was not wrong for saying it.)

Now comes Year 2 for Korpisalo in Boston, but with the reigning AHL goaltender of the year, Michael DiPietro, breathing down his neck and knocking at the door in what is a ‘make the NHL roster or be exposed to the waiver wire’ training camp. The Bruins have been here before, of course, with Brandon Bussi being in this exact spot a season ago. But Bussi was not coming off the year that DiPietro is coming off, and on Wednesday. Sweeney outright acknowledged that DiPietro is making a push for an opportunity in the NHL. 

One thing that saved Korpisalo last year was his preseason performance. He was absolutely fantastic for the Bruins. And that, along with nothing all that special from Bussi, made it an easy call for the Bruins. But what if it’s more neck and neck this time around and what if DiPietro can match Korpisalo? Taking into account a potential dead cap hit by burying Korpisalo’s contract in Providence, the Bruins would save over $300,000 in cap space by going with DiPietro over Korpisalo.