(Photo Credit: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe)

By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones

The start of the Boston Bruins’ season is now less than a month away. With the organization entering a new era with Marco Sturm now manning the ship behind Boston’s bench, there are a few trends Bruins fans should keep an eye on throughout the 2025-2026 campaign.

Pastrank Points

David Pastrnak is gunning for his fourth straight 100-point campaign. Despite Boston’s subpar season last year, especially as an overall offense, the dynamic winger still found a way to pot 43 goals and dish out 63 assists.

Pastrnak can enter an elite company in hockey history if he again reaches the century mark in points. Only 15 National Hockey League players have ever accumulated at least four straight 100-point seasons. Pastrnak will have his name alongside NHL legends, such as Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux, if he hits triple digits in the points department again.

McAvoy Appearances

Last season was one that Charlie McAvoy would like to forget. He was sidelined for the season in February after sustaining an injury to his AC joint during the Four Nations Face-Off. His season was over after playing in just 50 games.

Heading into his ninth season in Boston, the defenseman has battled through multiple injury problems. He has yet to play more than 78 games in a season. McAvoy will need to be a consistent member of the lineup for the Bruins to have a bounce-back year.

Swayman Saves

While many Bruins players will need to be better on the ice this year, it is absolutely crucial for Jeremy Swayman to be more effective between the pipes. After missing all of training camp and eventually signing an eight-year deal worth $66 million, Swayman struggled in his first season as Boston’s solidified number one goaltender.

The Bruins cannot afford for Swayman to post a save percentage of .892 or a goals against average of 3.11. It will be interesting to see how the netminder responds this year, with a full offseason and training camp to prepare mentally and physically for the upcoming campaign. With Sturm now in charge as Boston’s head coach, it will be noteworthy how he divides the net between Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo.

Zacha/Lindholm Production

For the Bruins to have a better record, both Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm will need more formidable offensive years. Both skaters ended last season with 47 points.

For the first time as a Bruin, Zacha failed to hit at least 57 points. Meanwhile, Elias Lindholm did not consistently start to put up points until the end of the season, when the Bruins were already eliminated from playoff contention. For Boston to experience more success this year, both players must surpass the 50-point threshold.

The Bruins will need practically everyone in the organization to raise their level of play from last year. In his first year as an NHL head coach, Sturm will have his hands full trying to spark Boston’s offense, make the defensive unit more stout, and get consistent play from the netminders. It will be helpful to keep tabs on these areas throughout the year, as they will be key indicators of how the Bruins’ season is going.