3 Bruins Predictions for the 2025 NHL Draft

For now, I think the Bruins should hold onto the seventh-overall pick, draft the center of their future, and focus on seeing who is available in free agency if they want to bring in another experienced forward. Elias Lindholm showed promise and improvement at the end of the season and at the World Championship, Pavel Zacha has been consistent in his last several seasons, and then there are some exciting young players in Matthew Poitras, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov who should be given expanded roles and opportunities in 2025-26 to prove himself. There are already some internal pieces in place that can help the team take a drastic step forward next season without having to bring in a huge name with a draft-day deal.

Keeping the seventh-overall pick makes sense, but given the annoyance Sweeney and Bruins’ management demonstrated during the press conference last month when asked about his drafting history, I think he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to his drafting. He is going to want prove he can draft and develop a true superstar, because so far, he hasn’t had much success outside of a few guys. However, that could change in a few years as more post-2022 draft picks make their way into the league.

Bruins Make a Trade

While I believe the Bruins won’t trade their seventh-overall pick, I do predict some of their later picks as well as their roster players are up for grabs. I will certainly be keeping an eye on one of their second-round picks and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo as potential assets that could be on the move. The goaltender’s name has been thrown around a bit already and the front office probably wants to retain one of their two young goaltenders in the American Hockey League (AHL), who are both unrestricted free agents and will be looking for NHL opportunities.

The Bruins are not unfamiliar with draft-day trades. Just last year, they traded Jakub Lauko to the Minnesota Wild on draft day for a fourth round pick and Vinni Lettieri, who played 26 games in Boston last season, registering three goals and five points. Given the state of the team and the number of picks they have, I think there’s a good chance they make at least one trade, even if it’s just an exchange of later-round picks.

Bruins Draft at Every Position

This is a bit of an obvious prediction. While the Bruins’ have primarily focused on restocking their forwards the last few drafts, with seven picks this year, they should draft players at all three positions. 

Previously, I’ve written about how the front office should use one of their mid-to-late round picks to draft a goaltender since it has been a few years since they selected one. Additionally, with three picks (for now) in the first two rounds, if the team uses all three for forwards, they could grab a solid defensive prospect in the beginning of the third round or use one of their second-round picks to grab a top defenseman if someone unexpectedly slides down the draft board.

With one of the worst-ranked prospect pools in the league, the Bruins need to use all the picks they can this year to replenish across the board. They’ve been (rightfully) focused on forwards the last few drafts, and while their top picks should still be focused at that position, they have more wiggle room this year to also nab a solid defenseman and a goaltender.

Offseason Is Officially Here

The 2024-25 season has come to a close and it is not one the Bruins are going to want to distance themselves from as fast as possible. If they play this draft right, it could certainly take some of the heat off of the organization. The hiring of Marco Sturm as head coach has also brought some more optimism to the fan base.

With the 2025 NHL Draft only a few short days away, make sure to check out The Hockey Writers‘ 2025 NHL Draft Guide for all your draft week content.