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Marco Sturm, Boston Bruins Head Coach, will have his work cut out for him as he tries to turn the team back into Stanley Cup contenders in short order. (Andy Nietupski / TTL Sports Media; X: @TTLSports: Instagram: @TTLSportsMedia)

Bruins 2025-26 NHL Season Brings New Expectations

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Brandon Share-Cohen | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 2:15 PM ET

For the better part of a decade, the Boston Bruins were perennial contenders for the Stanley Cup. With a strong core in place, the Bruins were able to navigate injuries, coaching changes and even crucial roster changes while remaining among the NHL’s most competitive teams. This set a certain expectation for the team that ultimately boiled down to each season being “Stanley Cup or bust,” which, in reality, is a lot of pressure to put on the players. This season, things couldn’t be more different. With the Bruins coming off of a very disappointing 2024-25 season and ultimately seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the discussion now surrounds whether the team will even make the playoffs next season.

It’s a humbling spot for the Bruins to be in, especially when the team made moves last season to try and amplify an already competitive group. Signing Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov proved not to be enough, however, especially with injuries to Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy proving costly, as well as Jeremy Swayman never finding his groove after a lengthy, public contract dispute saw him miss the entirety of the preseason. This season, the Bruins are in uncharted territory. They could sneak into the playoffs, or just as easily find themselves in the lottery conversation.

A Transition Year for the Boston Bruins

With expectations shifting, it’ll be up to new head coach Marco Sturm, along with leaders like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, to set the tone for this new-look Bruins team. Sturm brings a fresh voice and a reputation for working well with younger players, but he’s also tasked with giving Boston an identity. Whether he leans into a faster, skill-heavy approach or doubles down on the team’s defensive structure will go a long way in determining if the Bruins are fighting for a playoff spot or staring at another lottery pick.

Although the team will be without some crucial players from the past few seasons, including Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic and others, the expectations heading into the offseason for the Bruins were that the 2025-26 club would be competing for the postseason despite this on-the-fly retool.

Given the Bruins’ offseason strategy to sign multiple players with NHL experience rather than fully trusting some of the youth to step in and earn roster spots, it’s clear that this management group is keen on aiming for loftier goals than some fans may deem realistic. If the Bruins do compete for a playoff spot, even a first-round exit may be considered a win given how some fans have viewed this team’s recent trajectory.

Realistic Long-Term Expectations for the Bruins

That said, expectations are fluid and tend to change in real time. Given how competitive this team has been for such a long stretch, any form of success may snowball into higher expectations from fans, which may not be realistic at this point in the process.

The Bruins have some older players on the roster and this has accelerated the timeline for the team to be competitive in a timely manner. These players include both Elias (30) and Hampus Lindholm (31), Zadorov (30), and even Pastrnak (29). For this reason, any season that isn’t competitive can be viewed as a failure. This might sound dramatic, but patience is (rightfully) a foreign concept to fans of Boston sports teams. Talking about ‘retools’ and ‘lottery picks’ won’t be popular given the success the city has seen since the year 2000 across all leagues and it’s hard to stomach when the memories of 2011, 2013, and even the 65-win season are still fresh.

What’s important to remember, though, is that the Bruins do have some NHL-ready and nearly NHL-ready prospects who will be reinforcing the team in the coming seasons. The Bruins have a few prospects who are close to stepping in right now. Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Fraser Minten, and Matt Poitras are the names to watch this season as they push for meaningful NHL roles. Looking further ahead, players like James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, and Will Zellers could play big parts in shaping the team’s future. For the first time in years, the Bruins’ prospect pool feels like it could give fans real hope for the future.

More than anything, this season is about building chemistry and learning to push through adversity. The habits formed now, the roots planted during a tough year, could shape the Bruins’ long-term future just as much as wins and losses in 2025-26. Keeping these expectations in mind will make any future success feel that much sweeter, especially when the team is fully ready to compete.