On Monday, the Boston Bruins held a press conference ahead of the 2025-26 season, giving Charlie Jacobs, Cam Neely, and Don Sweeney a chance to meet with the media before the new-look Bruins take the ice in Washington on Wednesday. The Bruins’ front office gave fans and media a glimpse into their thoughts on the offseason, training camp, preseason, and their expectations for the upcoming season.
“If it’s 2-1 games that we have to play to win, then we’re going to have to do that.” Boston Bruins President Cam Neely said. “We do recognize we may have a little trouble scoring some goals, but I think defensively, we can certainly play much better. Obviously, [Charlie] McAvoy and Hampus [Lindholm] healthy are going to be a big part of our back end, but I think we’re going to be very tough out this year. We’re expecting to play very hard every game.”
The return of Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm to the Bruins’ blue line will help the team right the wrongs of last season. New head coach Marco Sturm allowed both defensemen to get back into action, each playing in three preseason games. In some of those games, and continuing into practice on Tuesday, Charlie McAvoy and Mason Lohrei have been a pair, and Hampus Lindholm has been working with Andrew Peeke.
Marco Sturm alluded to the pairing of McAvoy and Lohrei shortly after getting hired. In an interview with Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Sturm said, “they were actually a pretty good pair, so we’ll see that. Maybe he needs a partner like that.” After the first preseason game, McAvoy spoke highly about playing with Lohrei and said he could help him develop, much like the veterans did for him. With these two together on the top pairing, McAvoy’s two-way game gives him the ability to stand out on both sides of the puck and play his game more freely, and it allows Lohrei to be an offensive weapon, making all five guys on the ice threats on offense.
Andrew Peeke and Hampus Lindholm make up a strong second pair for the Bruins. Lindholm has a two-way drive to his game, and Andrew Peeke has been a reliable shutdown defender. Since returning from injury, Lindholm has looked very good and is getting comfortable on the ice. Yes, those are preseason games, but it is good to see him back at a high level of hockey. Due to his leadership and constant drive to improve his game, Marco Sturm expressed how nice it is to have Lindholm back in the room after the home preseason game against Philadelphia. Andrew Peeke, coming off a career-high 17-point season, will allow Lindholm to display his offensive side more while on this pair, but when Lindholm is back on defense, this pair will be hard to get by.
That leaves the third pair of defense to be Nikita Zadorov and Henri Jokiharju. That’s not your typical third pairing. After acquiring Jokiharju at the trade deadline in March, those two skated together as the first pair and locked down the Bruins’ blue line. The pair did exceptionally well at suppressing shots and preventing goals. Nikita Zadorov’s six-foot-six frame allowed him to police the ice and lay a hit, as he dropped 56 hits in his final 17 games last season while playing with Jokiharju. In his first year with the Bruins, Zadorov was involved in seven fights and displayed leadership by sticking up for his team.
By rolling these defense pairs, the Bruins are committed to having one of Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, or Nikita Zadorov on the ice, making it tough for any opposing team to go against. By doing this, the Bruins are establishing themselves as a team that values defense and knows it will be essential to their success. “I think we’re going to have to play tight defense if we’re going to be one of the eight [playoff teams] as we’re structured right now and we knew that going in,” said Neely. “Teams are going to circle playing against the Bruins and go, ‘Oh damn, we got to play them tonight.’”
Behind all those defensemen is goaltender Jeremy Swayman. “Obviously, [having] him in camp all camp this year, I think certainly is going to bode well for the team,” said Neely. It showed too. Swayman made 30 stops on 31 shots in the final preseason game; the only one he allowed was deflected. Joonas Korpisalo, with two strong performances in the preseason, not only maintained his spot on the Bruins’ roster but also showed the team why he wants more starts this season.
Over the summer, the Boston Bruins looked for offense, but “it didn’t come to fruition,” according to Neely. The Bruins reached outside the box for scoring, signing two of the top four AHL goal scorers last year in Matej Blumel and Alex Steeves, but neither made it to the opening day roster the Bruins released on Monday. In turn, Johnny Beecher and Jeffrey Viel are on the team, and they both bring energy, grit, and, as Cam Neely says, some “piss and vinegar.” Both Beecher and Viel had strong showings throughout the training camp, fitting into the mold the front office seeks.
However, some of the additions from this summer do make the Bruins a “tough out.” Mikey Eyssimont and Tanner Jeannot, now centered by Fraser Minten, immediately come to mind. Tanner Jeannot is an established NHL player, and the Bruins locked him into a five-year deal this summer. He brings physicality and toughness to the team, laying 13 hits down in his three preseason games. Eyssimont stood out during the preseason. He has a shot-first mindset, which the Bruins were looking for this offseason. In the preseason game at Madison Square Garden, Eyssimont scored twice and assisted on the game-tying goal. He can also bring a physical presence to the game, making him very difficult to play against.
Sean Kuraly returned to Boston this summer, signing a two-year deal with the team he started his NHL career with. Kuraly, centering the fourth line going into the season, is no stranger to stepping up for his team. Marco Sturm has him skating to the left of Mark Kastelic. Kastelic is another gritty player on the fourth line, and he is no stranger to a fight. He dropped the gloves ten times last year, and for good measure, he dropped them on Saturday in the final preseason game against the Rangers’ Matt Rempe. By filling in the third and fourth lines with Eyssimont, Jeannot, Kuraly, and Kastelic, the Bruins’ bottom-six forwards will bring an element of physicality and toughness to the ice every night. No matter which forward line is on the ice, the Bruins will have McAvoy, Lindholm, or Zadorov with them.
The Bruins have positioned themselves as a “tough out” and a difficult team to play against. The front office acknowledged that they did not improve offensively like they had anticipated. Still, by committing to having one of their top defensemen always on the ice, gritty options that have filled the bottom six forward group, and two goalies looking to bounce back after their performances last year, the Bruins are definitely on track to make games difficult. The Bruins might not be a flashy goal-scoring team, but the defensive structure is something that the team has historically been built on, and will carry into a new era of Bruins hockey.
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