By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter / X @RyanJBosworth
During the Bruins’ management end-of-season press conference, Don Sweeney commented on the status of the Bruins players’ health going into the 2025 National Hockey League offseason.
“We’re fortunate that, outside of Pavel Zacha having a small procedure, not
surgical, recently, and he’s not going to go the World Championships. Everybody right now, Johnny Beecher, I suspect, may have something small to repair. Everybody else right now is not a surgical candidate.”
When comparing that to previous Bruins’ offseasons, things are a bit different. A common trend for Bruins at the end of the season, normally the end of the postseason, is that several players are banged up, with some requiring surgery. Most recently, former captain Brad Marchand had three surgeries during the 2024 offseason and was only “just kind of getting back into it” at the start of September last year.
Marchand wasn’t the only player who started the 2024-25 season behind the 8 ball. Elias Lindholm, who signed last summer during NHL free agency, suffered a back injury during training camp and missed the majority of camp. Lindholm went on record stating that he felt like he was a few steps behind when the season started, and “chasing it pretty much all season after that.”
Along with Lindholm suffering an injury during the offseason, David Pastrnak also suffered an injury during the 2024 IIHF World Championship tournament, which contributed to his slow start to the 2024-25 season. While he eventually picked up his scoring pace, having the Bruins’ number-one scorer starting the season strong would be a huge benefit after what we saw in the 2024-25 campaign.
In an article for NESN, Gayle Troiani reports on Pastrnak’s IIHF Championship injury, where he goes on to state, “I was injured for a month and a half in the summer.” Pastrnak goes on to comment that “Not so much physically, because then there was still a lot of time, but the problem was mainly mental. Because in the summer, I normally prepare for the season, and I haven’t been injured for so long.”
While it wasn’t during the 2024 offseason but during the regular season, defenseman Hampus Lindholm went down with a fractured patella and had to undergo surgery for it. While many were hopeful for a return, it sidelined the 31-year-old for the remainder of the season. Losing Lindholm was a major blow to the Bruins’ blueline, and what came as an equally big loss was Charlie McAvoy’s sidelining shoulder injury during the Four Nations Face-Off tournament in February.
Don Sweeney commented on Hampus Lindholm’s status during the management press conference, stating that “There’s no indications that he’ll be restricted in any way, shape or form, and not back to the level of full health and impact for our hockey club, which is a big boost for us. He’ll have a full offseason of training, and return to play status should be one hundred percent when September rolls around.”
McAvoy, during the Bruins’ break-up day, confirmed that he’ll be good to go for a full offseason. “I have no restrictions this summer, I have no limitations on anything, which allows me to have a big summer, which I’m really excited about.”
Boston’s two best defenders being ready to go for a strong offseason plays a major role in a bounceback season after what was a disappointing 2024-25 season. Along with Boston’s defensemen, the majority of Boston’s forward group is primed for a full offseason of training and preparation, which helps the Black and Gold get off on the right foot for the 2025-26 campaign.
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