Bruins Place James Hagens On IR, Recall Michael Eyssimont

The back injury that Bruins forward James Hagens suffered on Thursday night will keep him out for at least a week.  The team announced today that they’ve placed Hagens on injured reserve.  Taking his place on the roster will be forward Michael Eyssimont, who has been recalled from AHL Providence.

The IR placement for Hagens puts a stop to what had been a very strong start to his first full professional season.  After getting his feet wet late in the year and in the playoffs with limited playing time, the 20-year-old has been a full-time regular in Boston’s lineup so far.

It’s fair to say that Hagens has made the most of that opportunity.  Through 17 games this season, the 2025 seventh overall pick has six goals and six assists, good for a tie for fifth in team scoring despite playing less than 15 minutes per night.  A natural center, Hagens has been deployed exclusively on the wing this year to help acclimate him to playing at the top level and he has adapted well.  At this point, there’s no timeline for his return while the placement was backdated to November 5th.

As for Eyssimont, he had been a regular with the Bruins last season after signing with them in free agency in the 2025 offseason.  He had eight goals and ten assists in 56 games last season on Boston’s fourth line.  At first glance, it seemed likely that he’d have a similar role this year but instead, he failed to earn a spot in the lineup and cleared waivers early last month instead, getting assigned to Providence.

In his first taste of AHL action since a brief stint back in 2022-23, the 30-year-old has been nothing short of dominant.  Eyssimont leads the league in goals with 13 in just eight games while sitting one point off the league lead despite playing at least four fewer games than anyone he’s trailing.  Suffice it to say, he has earned the promotion.

It will be interesting to see if the Bruins deploy Eyssimont in Hagens’ vacated spot, allowing him to try to take advantage of his offensive hot streak in the minors.  Alternatively, he could return to the role he has typically held across his 269 NHL appearances and be an energy player on the fourth line.

With these moves, Boston’s roster remains at the maximum of 23 players.