By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Well, it’s finally that time of year. The first on-ice sessions of the 2026 Boston Bruins Training Camp are today. This year’s training camp is more of a sprint than a marathon, with only 12 days until Opening Night against the New York Rangers. However, there are still quite a few questions to answer before then, so here is what I think the lineup could look like on September 29th.
First Line: Geekie-Minten-Pastrnak
There are many ways to arrange the Bruins’ top-nine forwards; however, I settled on this combination, at least to start. You could easily put James Hagens, Pavel Zacha, or JJ Peterka on the top line here in place of Geekie or Minten, but I settled on those two players in order to create a more balanced lineup. At this point in time, we know that David Pastrnak will find a way to put up points no matter who he plays with, and we know that Morgan Geekie’s shot makes him a great fit with #88. I opted to go with Fraser Minten as the Bruins’ 1C over Zacha, as Minten is an excellent defensive forward, that can also contribute a bit of offense, leaving Zacha’s offensive abilities for deeper down the lineup.
Second Line: Hagens-Zacha-Peterka
There’s been a lot of talk about Peterka potentially fitting with Pastrnak on the top line, and of course, that could still happen. However, I think it would be wise to see whether the Munich native can drive his own line first, since he can play both sides. I think Hagens would be a great fit with Peterka, given both players footspeed, as well as Hagens’ passing ability, and his shot which looked much improved to me during this past weekends’ rookie camp. Pavel Zacha slots in here down the middle, to provide two-way ability, as well as some additional scoring punch.
Line Three: Mittelstadt-Lindholm-Khusnutdinov
Elias Lindholm is no longer a top-six forward; however, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be a useful third-line center for the Bruins. You’ll never love his contract, but you have to ignore the salary and play him in a role that best suits him to help the team win games. In my opinion, that role is third-line center, where he can also focus on penalty killing and faceoffs, something he is very good at. Casey Mittelstadt is a player that’s tough to find a fit for. He’s traditionally a 40-55 point forward, but doesn’t bring much of the typical bottom-six grit you’d expect out of a third-line forward. Marat Khusnutdinov excelled in a third-line role last season, and we already know he can be moved up and down the lineup without issue when needed.
Fourth Line: Jeannot-Kuraly-Kastelic
The Bruins’ fourth line is probably a bit more set in stone than the top nine, but I could also see a world where Matt Poitras overtakes Sean Kuraly for a spot at center. I expect Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic will again be a pair for the majority of the season, and perhaps they could even help transition Poitras from the AHL to the NHL, much like they did last season with Fraser Minten.
Extra Forward: Matt Poitras
First Pair: Lindholm-Borgen
Obviously, Charlie McAvoy would be in Will Borgen’s spot if he wasn’t suspended for the first six games. Instead, the Moorhead, Minnesota, native will be the Bruins’ first pair right-shot defenseman alongside Hampus Lindholm. It will largely be a matter of weathering the initial storm for the Bruins’ as most players will be slotted a pair above where they realistically should be in McAvoy’s absence.
Second Pair: Zadorov-Clifton
Nikita Zadorov will need to be ready to go on September 29th, as the Bruins will really need him without McAvoy. I chose Connor Clifton to go alongside Zadorov, as I think Clifton is most likely to be a regular third-pairing defender with Frederic Brunet, Mason Lohrei, or Jonathan Aspirot.
Third Pair: Aspirot-Lohrei
For me, this was honestly the hardest decision of the entire lineup. It’s really hard to figure out what to make of the Bruins’ defensive depth situation with so many NHL-caliber defenders. Ultimately, I would be really surprised if Jonathan Aspirot isn’t in the opening night lineup after such a strong season last year, when he was trusted to play alongside McAvoy for large stretches of the season. I think Mason Lohrei probably ends the season somewhere other than Boston, but I think there’s a decent chance he’s dressing on opening night if he isn’t traded beforehand. He has some familiarity playing the off-side, and Hampus Lindholm’s role will be increased due to McAvoy’s absence the first six games. He could help out on the power play, and perhaps build some trade interest, as some teams will likely lose a defenseman to injury.
Extra Defensemen: McAvoy (suspended), Brunet
Goaltenders: Swayman (Starter), DiPietro
No surprises here: if both are healthy, Jeremy Swayman will be your opening night starter, while Michael DiPietro serves as backup. Swayman should be in the Vezina discussion again this season, while DiPietro makes the jump to the NHL after winning the Les Cunningham Award last season for American Hockey League MVP.
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