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Tanner Jeannot and John Beecher, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, Joonas Korpisalo and Michael DiPietro (The Hockey Writers)

3 Positional Battles to Watch in Bruins’ Training Camp

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Zander Manning | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 9:45 AM ET

In the 2024-25 season, the Boston Bruins finished the season with a record of 33-39-10. Not only was that good for the worst in the Atlantic Division, but it was also their worst season in 18 years and worst finish in the standings in the last 28 years. Going into the 2025-26 season, it’s safe to say they’re looking for better results.

Going into the 2024-25 season, the Bruins lost Jake DeBrusk to free agency and traded Linus Ullmark. Both moves caused some discontent among fans, and it even affected how the locker room viewed management. Then, during the season, after struggling to get anything concrete going, they traded Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche along with Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline, effectively sealing their fate as the cellar dweller in the Atlantic.

On top of all that, Boston spent some money signing big-name players like Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, but the Bruins did not get the production they thought they would get out of them in their first season in Boston. The team will be hoping for more in year two.

While there is hope on the horizon, there are still some positional battles that need to be sorted out before the season begins. Here are the three most pressing ones.

3. The Bottom-Six Forwards

Going into the 2025-26 season, following trades of players like Trent Frederic and Max Jones last season, the bottom-six forward group seems to be depleted. With the team handing out an extension to John Beecher and the signing of free agents like Tanner Jeannot, it’s a bit unclear who the bottom-six forwards are going to be this season.

The first two lines should be solidified going into the season, but with the flurry of free agents and the promising young stars in the American Hockey League (AHL) in Providence, not much is known about who makes up the rest of the group and how often they will play.

Fabian Lysell, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The lineup could be made up of young stars that stay with the team after camp, like Fabian Lysell, or it could be solely made up of a combination of existing players who were there last season and some of the free agents Boston signed in the offseason.

Depth will definitely not be an issue for the Bruins in the 2025-26 season, but figuring out where and when everyone is going to play is another story.

2. The Third Defensive Pairing

The defensive pairings are bound to be in flux during the 2025-26 season. In a perfect world, the pairings should be: Charlie McAvoy and Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke and Hampus Lindholm, and Henri Jokiharju and Zadorov. That’s in a perfect world, though, and Boston is far from a perfect world when it comes to their defensemen.

McAvoy is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury that occurred during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Lindholm is coming off a season where he only played 17 games due to a broken kneecap that happened when he blocked a shot. Lindholm has said he is ready to “pick up where he left off”, according to Laura Campbell of MassLive.com. McAvoy’s injury, however, while healed, may cause his game to be a bit different going into the season, given how physical and shot-focused his game is.

Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins, Dec. 2, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

What does all of this mean for the third defensive pairing, though, you may ask? If both are hindered by their injuries to start the season, and they get hurt again, it will bump up a right- and left-handed defenseman to replace McAvoy and Lindholm on the first and second defensive pairings, respectively. First-year head coach Marco Sturm will then have to decide who plays with who, and whether or not they call someone up from Providence or if they simply just carry extra defensemen going into the season.

Of course, all of that is simply speculation and hypothetical situations, but it is definitely a battle that will play out in training camp. It will be important for the Bruins to be prepared for any situation that may come their way in early October.

1. The Backup Goaltender

Every single beat writer has been pounding this same drum all summer, but this will truly be the biggest positional battle of the fall. Jeremy Swayman will, without a doubt, start the majority of the games for Boston, but the question at the end of camp is going to be who they are willing to, let alone can in the first place, part ways with at the goaltender position.

Boston could very well have a conundrum on its hands at the end of training camp of whether to keep the veteran Joonas Korpisalo, who has been whining about his playing time all summer, or to trade him in favor of the younger and less experienced Michael DiPietro, who signed his first NHL deal in the offseason.

Joonas Korpisalo, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

In this reporter’s mind, the choice is obvious, and it should be to management as well – especially considering the aforementioned DiPietro would have to clear waivers if he were not to make the opening night roster. Finding a trade partner for Korpisalo may not be easy, but it may be an issue the Bruins may need to address at the end of the preseason.

Korpisalo made a case to stay with the limited showings that he had in the 2024-25 season, but if he wants to play more often than he did, it’s possible that Boston may not be the best place for him – especially if you factor in that the Bruins are paying Swayman to start at least 65-75% of the games in net.

These Are Not the Only Positional Battles Facing the Team

It’s no secret that there is room for improvement for this team. Boston is facing an uphill battle if it wants to compete with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning of the world. That’s just for the top-tier of the division, if the Bruins want to sneak into the playoffs it may be even harder with the Atlantic getting better.

More positions could turn into battles in the preseason, and maybe even some that spill over into the regular season. These are simply the three biggest positional battles to look out for.