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Fraser Minten, Mason Lohrei and Matthew Poitras (The Hockey Writers)

3 Bruins’ Breakout Candidates for 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Zander Manning | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 12:15 PM ET

Going into the 2025-26 season, the Boston Bruins will be looking for better results after finishing with the league’s fifth-worst record at 33-39-10. While some players hit milestones and some even set career-highs in the 2024-25 season, the Bruins are looking to deliver for their fans who seem to have a renewed sense of hope going into the upcoming season following a flurry of free agent signings.

Looking up and down Boston’s roster, there will be some holes that need to be filled. Some are immediate, like in its bottom-six forwards, and others down the road, like in the defensive pairings if there are injuries, like there were in the 2024-25 season. While the goaltending left some to be desired, there are not many holes that need to be filled. Instead, there are perhaps too many cooks in the kitchen, and one may be released at the end of camp.

Out of all 23 players the Bruins will carry on their roster when they open the season against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Oct. 8, 2025, here are three players who are possible breakout candidates for the 2025-26 season.

3. Fraser Minten (Forward)

Since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the trade for Brandon Carlo at the 2025 Trade Deadline, Fraser Minten was something of a puzzle at first, but he made the most of his time in his first season with Boston. In a combined 17 games with the Bruins split between Providence and Boston, he racked up eight points (four goals, four assists).

Minten is expected to make a bid for one of the bottom-six forward spots, and given the lack of depth at the position, especially as a left-handed shot, he may break camp with the team. He has only played 25 games at the NHL level and has only racked up five points in that timeframe (three goals, two assists). He has, however, been very disciplined, only racking up four penalty minutes in that time.

Minten isn’t quite a lock to make the opening night lineup against the Capitals, but he definitely comes into training camp with a chip on his shoulder and will have a desire to make an impression on general manager (GM) Don Sweeney and the rest of the Boston brass.

Minten won’t come in with high expectations from the team, but he may have higher expectations for himself if he wants to impress fans and show why he was the one Sweeney picked up from the Maple Leafs.

2. Mason Lohrei (Defenseman)

In the 2024-25 season, Mason Lohrei also had a standout season, well, at least by his standards he did. He, too, played in 77 games for the Bruins. During that stretch, he scored five goals and notched 28 assists. He also won gold at the World Championship where he played in five games and collected three points (one goal, two assists).

After Hampus Lindholm fractured his patella tendon in his knee blocking a shot and was forced to miss the entire regular season after playing just 17 games, Lohrei was thrust into the top defensive pairing role. The second-year defenseman, however, took the challenge in stride and passed the eye test with flying colors. Not only did his numbers speak for themselves, but Lohrei’s awareness and discipline were also much better in the 2024-25 season for the Bruins.

According to HockeyDB, Lohrei had only 16 penalty minutes in 36 more games last season – an average of just 0.21 per game – as opposed to 18 in 41 games where he averaged 0.44 per game. In both seasons, Lohrei averaged under one minute per game, but to average under 30 seconds per game while playing in all but five games, that is quite an accomplishment.

Lohrei will come into camp competing with Lindholm for the second spot on the top defensive pairing, but it appears to be his job to lose, as he has the leg up after last season. He will look to increase his goal totals in the 2025-26 season, while also continuing his excellent puck distribution.

1. Matthew Poitras (Forward)

After being forced into NHL play in the 2023-24 season due to him not having AHL options yet, Matthew Poitras took the 2024-25 season as a development year and split his time between Boston and Providence. He played a total of 81 games (eight playoff games with Providence), scoring a combined 20 goals and racking up 36 assists (56 points) in that time.

Poitras has the potential to make the NHL roster and have a top role on the team, especially with a possible trade of top-six forward Pavel Zacha, at least according to Heavy.com. Poitras could very well take Zacha’s spot on the second line at the center position.

The trick for Poitras this season is actually being able to stay in the NHL. If he can use the skills he developed in Providence and have it translate to the NHL level, he will quickly become a mainstay in the Bruins’ offense, especially if he is paired with the right players. If he is paired with Geekie and the two share the puck well, both will complement each other. However, if he is left as the one stud on a line that doesn’t have much scoring, his success will be very much self-constructed, which may not bode well for the youngster.

When Does Training Camp Start?

As of this date, training camp starts in just over a month and a half on Sept. 18 with puck drop in the first preseason game on Sept. 21 against the Capitals at TD Garden at 5:00 p.m.