Bruins Benching James Hagens Was a Mistake

Sturm did something that set social media on fire; he benched Hagens in Game 5 against the Sabres, when the team could’ve used his talents the most.

Selected seventh overall in 2025 by the Bruins, Hagens was the best prospect we’ve seen come into the organization in recent years. Originally considered a consensus first overall pick, he fell to seventh as the New York Islanders took defenseman Matthew Schaefer instead.

Hagens, projected to be a top-six forward for the next organization that took him, signed his entry-level contract (ELC) on April 8, 2026. This was after he signed an American Hockey League (AHL) tryout agreement with the Providence Bruins in March. He concluded his short time in the AHL, recording four points (one-three) in six games.

General manager Don Sweeney and the Bruins opted to burn a year of his entry-level contract by bringing him up to the big club.

His debut in the NHL happened on the 13th with the Bruins, recording an assist in two games. The team has higher aspirations with a forward of his caliber, being compared to Mat Barzal and Logan Cooley.

Hagens played three games in the playoffs and went scoreless despite being one of the best players on the ice, if you view his underlying stats. Sturm chose to bench him instead, making what looked to be an apparent error in his coaching philosophy, opting to slot Michael Eyssimont and Alex Steeves into the lineup.

Marco Sturm’s Choice to Bench James Hagens Was a Mistake

Grit and an ability to crash the net are vital traits players need to ensure success during the playoffs, both of which Eyssimont and Steeves provide. But what they don’t provide? Offensive production.

Both forwards were pointless in Game 5.

The team needs to spread the wealth of talent up and down the lineup when possible, and Hagens’ removal in Game 5 was a huge mistake.

“He was in the mix too. It was a Game 7 for us. I didn’t want to put him in a bad spot. He still needs to learn a lot,” Sturm said. “He played great so far to this point. Hopefully I can use him again down the stretch. But yesterday I thought I need experience going into a game like that.”

Hagens, placed with the right players, could be a reliable producer and offer more than just pure physicality. While it’s something the team needs, they need a balance, and the seventh-overall pick in 2025 arguably belongs on the same line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khustnutdinov.

The trio excelled together during the regular season with a Corsi for percentage (CF%) of 53.57, yet the logic that favors vets remains with Sturm, which seems to be a familiar calling card for coaches who use older players as a crutch.

Per Natural Stat Trick, Khustnutdinov, Minten, and Hagens controlled the ice when they were placed on the same line together.

The same line was together for three games in the playoffs, with a time on ice of 22:07, and a general four shots-for, and 10 shots against, which was better than the line of Lindholm, Steeves, and Eyssimont, with one shot-for, and three shots against.

While Game 5 was an urgent matter, which the team ended up winning 2-1, the numbers show that the line of Khusnutdinov, Minten, and Hagens has done a better job of generating offense than the mixed line of Lindholm, Steeves, and Eyssimont.

The retool is ahead of schedule, and instead of letting Hagens gain necessary experience for the future, they’ve burned a year of his ELC where he could’ve been developing further in the AHL, instead of warming a bench.