( Photo Credit: Nancy Lane / Boston Herald )

By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan

Although the boo birds were out for another Don Sweeney-led Boston Bruins offseason, no one can claim he is without a plan. The plan was direct in re-establishing an identity for the team, both for the present and the future. The Bruins, throughout last season, had not just lost modern team qualities, they were shaky even in the foundation they had been built on.

Sweeney needed to perform damage control while also trying to shift toward the modern NHL’s game. The plan in place is for the 2025–26 Bruins to go from owning their own zone to embracing a more up-tempo offense.

In the 2024–25 season, the Bruins averaged a staggering 12.6 high-danger chances per 60, a new high after posting 12.5 in 2015. Although interim coach Joe Sacco correctly identified and worked daily to improve the players’ defensive responsibility, this element of the team needed an offseason for all minds to refresh. There has been a need for top-end talent, but the Bruins do not usually break down as much as they did last season in their own zone.

Adding a tenured Bruin like Sean Kuraly while bringing up a player like Fraser Minten should bode well for the defensive foundation that should always be in place. The bottom-six-focused moves highlighted, first and foremost, that responsibility needs to come from the bottom to the top, and experience, along with competition, will enforce that.

Sweeney said of Tanner Jeannot, “Deep down, we believe he will bring a lot more energy to our team that we need.” This is where physicality and energy might be considered too closely linked, but the thought is that a player like this will be able to encourage others to tap into their forechecking ability more. Along with the top of the roster, the bottom-six candidates have the tools to dig in and put together a consistent forecheck.

Bruins forwards such as Elias Lindholm, John Beecher, Fraser Minten, and Morgan Geekie can all contribute on both sides of the ice sometimes, all it takes is another guy rallying them forward. Physicality is needed, and, similar to the roster having players capable of providing consistent energy, this team has enough strength to set the tone physically as well.

In addition to Jeannot, the Bruins could use more physical tone-setting from the defensive core, specifically from Charlie McAvoy on down. Although players like McAvoy need to play it safe health-wise over the course of a season, the reality is that he still has a higher physical ceiling to reach. Fans have witnessed multiple games shift because of McAvoy laying a tone-setting hit, just think about what that could do for the team if he tapped into that even a little more.

It’s only natural that players find another gear once they see a teammate give their body to a 60-minute effort. If veteran players like McAvoy can put this together, the usual faces of Nikita Zadorov, Jeannot, and Mark Kastelic will be able to add on.

With all this in mind, the cap space for the Bruins next year is on Sweeney’s mind as well. With a less-than-ideal cap scenario this offseason, there needed to be an attempt at setting identity more than anything else. Whether the big-ticket items on track to become free agents after this season will be available is always hard to rely on, but there is simply more flexibility with roster decisions, regardless.

Although Jeannot’s contract is quite long, there is something to be said for the ability to protect your younger talent from getting worn down by targeting opponents. There is an awareness that acquired and recently drafted prospect talent will be coming up as reinforcements. Once the identity is set over the course of the season, the hope is that the free agency possibilities collide with the prospects to create a bigger window for success.

Success is never guaranteed in any scenario, so time will tell whether this offseason full of decisions will be a winning one. The point, though, is that a roster has been assembled that the decision-maker believes is set up to establish the desired culture. Now, it is up to the players, and that is what watching the team play is for. Fans should keep a close eye on whether players are adhering to the plan set in place.