On Monday, the Boston Bruins announced their opening-night roster, including 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders. The lineup is split between those making their NHL or Bruins debut and some Bruins veterans.
Here’s a look at Boston’s lineup ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Washington Capitals.
Bruins Forwards (14)
*Viktor Arvidsson, Johnny Beecher, *Mikey Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie, *Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, **Marat Khusnutdinov, *Sean Kuraly, Elias Lindholm, **Fraser Minten, **Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrnak, **Jeffrey Viel, Pavel Zacha (*indicates new to the team and ** indicates not on the 2024-25 opening-night roster)
Of the 14 forwards, eight were not on the roster to start last season. Four of them were acquired either through free agency or trades this offseason, including Viktor Arvidsson, Mikey Eyssimont, Tanner Jeannot, and Sean Kuraly. Kuraly, of course, is not new to Boston – he played the first five seasons of his career with the club – but he is back after playing the last four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, and Jeffrey Viel were all with the Bruins in 2024-25. However, all were acquired around the trade deadline, except for Jeffrey Viel, who spent the entire season with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The only returning forwards are Johnny Beecher, Morgan Geekie, Mark Kastelic, Elias Lindholm, David Pastrnak, and Pavel Zacha. While they have earned their spot in the lineup, some fans might be a bit concerned about the lack of chemistry in this lineup.
Here are the projected forward lines:
| LW | C | RW |
| Morgan Geekie | Elias Lindholm | David Pastrnak |
| Marat Khusnutdinov | Pavel Zacha | Casey Mittelstadt |
| Sean Kuraly/Mikey Eyssimont | Viktor Arvidsson | Fraser Minten |
| Tanner Jeannot | Johnny Beecher | Mark Kastelic/Jeffrey Viel |
If all goes to plan and Lindholm stays healthy and lives up to his contract, the Bruins’ first line could be one of the most lethal scoring lines in the league. Geekie eclipsed 50 points for the first time in his career in 2024-25, while Pastrnak is always a lock for at least 90 points, and Lindholm should be able to make a sizeable contribution. Whether or not that shows up in the stats is up to him.
One positive is that this group has depth and a variety of players. While Pastrnak can score goals, and players like Beecher and Zacha can facilitate, it also has players like Kastelic and Jeannot who can dish out hits when needed.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes Announce 2025-26 Opening Night Roster
This could be one of the better forward groups in the league.
Bruins Defensemen (7)
*Jordan Harris, **Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Nikita Zadorov
Fans have to feel good about this defense group. Of these seven players, five were in the opening-night lineup last season, and six were on the roster at some point. The only in-season addition is Henri Jokiharju, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres.
The Bruins have one newcomer who was not on the roster at all last season. Jordan Harris came over with Kuraly from the Blue Jackets. Other than that, Boston’s defensive stars from the past few seasons remain the same.
Harris spent the first three seasons of his career with the rival Montreal Canadiens. He is coming home to play for the team he grew up watching. He is also a left-handed shot – something the Bruins desperately needed last season.
Here are the projected defensive pairings:
| Left-Defenseman | Right-Defenseman |
| Mason Lohrei | Charlie McAvoy |
| Hampus Lindholm/Jordan Harris | Andrew Peeke |
| Nikita Zadorov | Henri Jokiharju |
If Nikita Zadorov doesn’t get into as much penalty trouble as he did last season, Boston’s blue line should be in good shape. Harris will likely play in a tandem role with Lindholm, but only for the first part of the season, while the latter recovers from an injury. Once Lindholm is ready to take on the role full-time, watch for Harris to essentially fade into the background.
With all the returning players in this defensive core, it should be a solid season for the Bruins on the back end. The chemistry is already there; it’s the production that remains to be seen.
Bruins Goaltenders (2)
Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman
While it is surprising that Boston decided to go with Korpisalo again as backup after his persistent request to play more last season, it’s not unexpected, as head coach Marco Sturm will rely heavily on veteran leadership.
Swayman will be the undisputed starter on opening night, while Michael DiPietro will be waiting in the wings if something happens to either Swayman or Korpisalo. In fact, don’t be surprised if there are trade rumblings early on regarding Korpisalo.
While Swayman had the better overall record in the 2024-25 season, he still did not live up to his long-term $8.5 million contract. Both goaltenders have something to prove this season: Swayman that he is worth the investment, and Korpisalo that he deserves to split starts and remain on the team.
One More Sleep Until Bruins Opening Night
Bruins fans have been waiting for their team to take the ice after finishing 2024-25 at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They are back in action on Wednesday night when they face the Capitals in Washington at 7:30 p.m. on TNT and TruTV.
Opening-night prediction: Bruins 4, Capitals 3 (SO)
