The Boston Bruins head into the 2025-26 season at a crossroads. The 2024-25 campaign was marked by inconsistent play, goaltending woes, injuries, and offensive struggles, and they are looking to bounce back in the new season.
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As usual, the Atlantic Division is stacked with perennial contenders standing in the Bruins’ way–the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs to name a few. Let’s take a look at the best and worst-case scenarios for where the Bruins might finish in their division.
Best Case: Top Three
The best-case scenario for the Bruins in 2025-26 is finishing in the top three in their division and returning to playoff contention. A few things will need to happen for this to take place. First, they will need Jeremy Swayman to bounce back from a down 2024-25 campaign. They will also need their defense to stay healthy, avoiding the injuries that plagued them. Finally, David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie cannot be alone in providing the Bruins with meaningful offensive contributions. If these three things happen, the Bruins will likely find themselves competing for a playoff spot, potentially even in the top three.
While finding the formula that has worked for them in the past will likely lead to the Bruins being relevant in the Atlantic, it is unlikely that they will be competing for the top spot. The Panthers and Maple Leafs’ rosters are deeper and stacked with more talent, and it is unlikely that the Bruins will be able to hang with those two for the entirety of an 82-game season. That said, if the Bruins are able to make the playoffs, they should feel confident they have a chance against anyone with Swayman’s ability to get hot at just the right time.
Worst Case: Dead Last
The worst-case scenario starts with Swayman being unable to bounce back. If this is the case, there is very little chance that the Bruins will be competitive in the Atlantic, and their worries will go far beyond 2025-26 as they will be stuck with a struggling goalie on an expensive, long-term deal. Even if Swayman is able to bounce back, the Bruins do not have the depth to be able to absorb meaningful injuries to star players throughout the season. If, like last season, key players need to miss long stretches, expect the Bruins to be out of the playoff picture come the second half of the campaign.
Finally, if Pastrnak and Geekie are yet again the only source of offensive contribution, the Bruins will struggle to keep themselves in games against high-powered offences like those of the Maple Leafs, Lightning, and Panthers. A combination of these three things happening would likely lead the Bruins back to where they finished in 2024-25: at the very bottom of their division.
Bruins Likely To Finish Somewhere Between
The Bruins undoubtedly have the potential to compete in the Atlantic this season. If Swayman is able to rebound, key players are able to stay healthy, and forwards not named Pastrnak and Geekie are able to make meaningful contributions, they should be at least relevant in the Eastern Conference.
On the flip side, everything could go haywire as it did last season because the Bruins do not have the depth to overcome injuries or underperformance from key players. It is likely that they will improve from a season ago given how much had to go wrong for them to end up where they did in 2024-25. However, with fierce competition in the Atlantic, it may be improbable that they finish in the top three.
