By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Predicting an opening night roster can be difficult. Many things can occur between the beginning of September and puck drop that can quickly change everything. Injuries can occur in practice or preseason games, as players are not yet at full game speed. Waiver status can be a factor in decisions between competing personnel. Players may show unexpected chemistry in a preseason game or practice that leads to a Head Coach wanting to see more. Even with all these things being true, I decided to take my best guess at what the Bruins’ opening night lineup against the Capitals might look like.
First Line: Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak
There’s no way around it, this trio was dynamite down the stretch for the B’s last season. After an intense trade deadline sell-off, the Bruins were non-competitive most nights, outside of when this trio was on the ice. In 89.6 minutes of five-on-five ice time last season, Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak had an expected goals % of 67.7%. While you could argue that perhaps this line was successful only because of David Pastrnak’s sheer brilliance, or that the sample size was in games where teams were either playing out the stretch like Boston, or just trying to stay healthy for the postseason, those numbers alone make it worth trying again.
Second Line: Zacha-Mittelstadt-Arvidsson
While there are other options, I think Marco Sturm will ultimately opt for a second line of veterans over younger players such as Matt Poitras or Fabian Lysell. Acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on July 1st, Arvidsson joins the Bruins after a solid if not unspectacular season in Oil Country. The Swedish forward potted 15 goals in 67 games last year and has scored plenty more than that in the past. That being said, at 32, and with a lengthy injury history, it’s fair to question whether he’ll reach the heights he showed in Nashville and Los Angeles again.
As for his linemates, I suspect Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt with both get an opportunity in the top-six. Zacha has been a solid depth contributor in Boston, while Mittelstadt is looking to get back on track after a rough stint with the Avalanche. With both Zacha and Mittelstadt’s names in trade rumors, and Arvidsson entering the final year of his contract, it’s possible none of the three are still in Boston after the deadline.
Third Line: Jeannot-Minten-Poitras
When the Bruins signed Tanner Jeannot to a five-year contract with an annual average value of $3,400,000, they signed one of the toughest customers in the National Hockey League. The Estevan, Saskatchewan, native has gone toe-to-toe with some of the league’s most renowned fighters, such as Arber Xhekaj and Ryan Reaves.
As a result, it makes sense to have Jeannot alongside two kids in Poitras and Minten. While he may never find the 24-goal form he saw as a member of the Nashville Predators, he’ll provide a physical presence alongside the defensively responsible Minten and a gifted playmaker in Poitras. Matej Blumel could also be an option for some more scoring pop.
Fourth Line: Eyssimont-Kuraly-Kastelic
For the fourth line, it seems like Eyssimont, Kastelic, and Kuraly are all but locks for the opening night roster. With Kuraly, the Bruins know what they have in the Dublin, Ohio, native, making him a safe bet to make the team. Kastelic showed flashes of being a legitimate pain-in-the-ass for opposing teams last season, but unfortunately dealt with injuries throughout the year, and Eyssimont can really get under opponent’s skin. I’m sure this combo will change throughout the year, but I think it’s likely the Bruins start with those guys.
Extra Forwards: Blumel & Khusnutdinov
I could see several guys getting the chance to stick around despite not dressing on opening night; however, ultimately, I went for Matej Blumel and Marat Khusnutdinov. It would be silly to risk giving up on Khusnutdinov by placing him on waivers after he showed some flashes of potential towards the end of last season. I went for Blumel for my second extra forward due to his history of goal scoring at the American Hockey League level, as well as the efforts in which the team went through to get him to sign in Boston.
Top Pairing: Lohrei-McAvoy
Mason Lohrei had a rough season. While plus/minus doesn’t tell the whole story regarding a player’s performance, when you’re a league worst -43, chances are things aren’t going very well. That being said, it’s still way too early to write off the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native. So many things went wrong last year for the team, whether it was goaltending struggles, a mid-season coaching change, roster turnover from a trade deadline teardown, or perhaps unfamiliarity with Jay Leach’s expectations for his defense, there’s plenty of factors that could have contributed to Lohrei’s struggles.
Another reason could be the absence of Charlie McAvoy, who missed a significant chunk of last season due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Four Nations Face-Off. While the pair struggled a bit last season, they’ve had success in the past, namely in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they’ve caught the eye of their new Head Coach.
“I liked him and McAvoy (together)“. Sturm told Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti of 98.5 The Sports Hub about Lohrei. “They were actually a pretty good pair, so we’ll see that, maybe he needs a partner like that.“.
Second Pairing: Lindholm-Peeke
Perhaps the biggest reason for the B’s struggles last season was the nearly season-long absence of Hampus Lindholm. The Helsingborg, Sweden, native was perhaps the Bruins’ best player in the 17 games he played before missing the remainder of the season due to a serious knee injury.
The good news is, Lindholm is expected to be ready for the start of the season, and the Bruins will need him if they want any chance at returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Lindholm doesn’t have much familiarity with either Andrew Peeke or Henri Jokiharju, as he only played 10.4 minutes of five-on-five ice time with Peeke last season, and was injured after Jokiharju was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. Ultimately I put Peeke with Lindholm, in large part due to the fact Jokiharju has played well with Nikita Zadorov.
Third Pairing: Zadorov-Jokiharju
To round out the defense corps, I went with a third pairing of Zadorov and Jokiharju. This pairing had some success post-deadline last season, even while facing the challenge of Lindholm and McAvoy’s absences from the lineup. While their overall numbers might not stand out on paper, if McAvoy and Lindholm’s pairings are handling more difficult minutes, it would be a reasonable assumption that Jokiharju and Zadorov’s outputs could improve with easier matchups.
Coincidentally, both players also got a hole-in-one during the off-season, a very rare feat for an amateur golfer. It’s believed that the odds of making one are as low as 12,500 to one, which begs the question: What are the odds of both members of an NHL defense pairing recording one in the same summer? Maybe it’s a sign they should play together.
Extra Defenseman: Jordan Harris
I’d expect there to be some pretty significant competition for this spot, and I could see Victor Soderstrom, Michael Callahan, or even Frederic Brunet making a push for this role. Ultimately, though, I think it’ll be won by Haverhill native Jordan Harris. Harris has 164 games of NHL experience with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens, and with his mobility on the blue line will occupy the role that previously belonged to Parker Wotherspoon.
Starting Goaltender: Jeremy Swayman
It almost goes without saying, but barring injury or another unforeseen circumstance, Jeremy Swayman will almost certainly be in goal for the Bruins on October 8th. Last year was a disaster for the Alaska native, after enduring season-long struggles after missing all of training camp due to an ugly contract negotiation that became public.
Swayman will need to put that behind him as he heads into the new year, and this summer’s World Championships were a positive sign that he can do just that. The University of Maine alumni led Team USA to a Gold Medal with a .921 save percentage, winning all seven games he appeared in.
Backup Goaltender: Michael DiPietro
I wouldn’t be shocked if the Bruins ultimately stuck with Joonas Korpisalo, but I’ll go with Michael DiPietro to be the team’s backup, at least to start the season. The Windsor, Ontario, native was lights out for Providence last season, recording a .927 save percentage, with a 26-8-7 record in the regular season, earning the Baz Bastien Memorial Award for the AHL’s best Goaltender.
Ultimately, with the threat of a waiver claim looming, I think it makes sense for the Bruins to give DiPietro a shot at the NHL level, at least to start the season. If things don’t go well, you can always bring back Korpisalo from the AHL later in the season, as it appears unlikely he would be claimed by another team if waived. The same doesn’t seem to be true for DiPietro.
Leave a Reply