Three Players Who Need to Elevate Their Play For the Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney recently answered questions about the Bruins potential challenges with scoring goals throughout the lineup. Sweeney admitted that “production by committee” would need to be the focus as the season begins on October 8 in Washington. Boston has one of the NHL’s top goal scorers in David Pastrnak and his linemate, Morgan Geekie, who tallied a career-high 33 goals last season. Beyond that, the player with the most goals last season for the Bruins was their other linemate, Elias Lindholm, with 17. Only two other players cracked double digits. The question will be whether other forwards can create enough secondary scoring to make the Bruins a viable playoff contender. It is a tall task, and three particular forwards will have to contribute.

Viktor Arvidsson

The 32-year-old winger scored 15 goals with Edmonton last season and has the type of shot-first mentality that the Bruins could use in their top-six forward group. Arvidsson was acquired for a fifth-round draft pick in July and has one year left on his contract. Sweeney traded for Arvidsson to try to get a second-line forward who could score without a lot of financial investment. Arvidsson was a fourth-round pick in 2012 and is six goals away from 200 for his career. Boston needs Arvidsson to be closer to the 26-goal scorer he was in 2022-23.

Fraser Minten

The Bruins need better center play, particularly in the playmaking department, and Minten has shown signs of taking a roster spot with the big club this season. Boston traded for Minten as part of the Brandon Carlo deal at the trade deadline last season. The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Minten in 2022 in the second round, and the 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward is considered a top prospect of the organization. Minten scored a goal in six games with Boston at the end of last season and three goals in Providence in the AHL in 11 games. Minten has been spending time on a line with Tanner Jeannot in training camp and should be targeted for third-line center when the season starts. If Minten can produce consistently, the Bruins will be much better for it.

Matej Blumel

Blumel is an intriguing offensive forward who led the AHL in goals with 39 goals with the Texas Stars last season. The 6-foot, 205-pound forward has played 13 games in the NHL with Dallas and scored two goals. Blumel has an accurate shot and has been a sniper in the minors. The question will be whether Blumel’s overall game can translate to the NHL. Boston signed Blumel as a free agent in July and hopes that they have found another top-six forward candidate to help balance out the offensive output. The Bruins need Blumel to finally stick on the NHL roster and be a threat on the ice consistently this season. It is a tall order, but Boston does not have many options.