Oh boy a lot has happened since my last post hasn’t it?

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Brad Marchand is now a 2x Stanley Cup Champion; in 2011 with the Boston Bruins and now 2024 with the Florida Panthers. The last remaining member of that 2011 team is now a Panther. Chris Kelly is still a part of the team but in a coaching position, but now the Bruins are left without a captain to guide them into a new season. As of right now, it looks like both David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy will be the two Bruins wearing the “A” this season.

New coach Marco Sturm is making his return home, as he played for the Bruins from 2005-2010 as part of the return of the Joe Thornton trade. Many remember Sturm for his heroics in the 2011 Winter Classic, helping Boston become the first home team to win the Winter Classic with his game winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton in overtime.

Out With The Old, In With The New

Along side the departure of Brad Marchand, the Bruins also said goodbye to some key players, while welcoming some new (and old) faces to the team.

NEW PLAYERS VIA TRADES

Player	Previous Team	Trade Info
Casey Mittelstadt (C)	Colorado Avalanche	Charlie Coyle was shipped out in return
Viktor Arvidsson (RW)	Edmonton Oilers	Bruins gave up a 5th round pick in 2027
Marat Khusnutdinov (C)	Minnesota Wild	Bruins gave up Justin Brazeau and welcomed back Jakub Lauko (who is currently a FA)
Henri Jokihariu (RD)	Buffalo Sabers	A 4th round pick in 2026 went the other way to Buffalo
Fraser Minten (C)	Toronto Maple Leafs	Brandon Carlo was sent in return
Victor Soderstrom (RD)	Chicago Blackhawks	Prospect Ryan Mast and a pick went to Chicago

Free agency saw the Bruins make some decent signings as well as add some question marks for this upcoming season.

Player	Team	Key Information
Matěj Blümel (RW)	Dallas Stars/Texas Stars	Led in goals for the Texas Stars last season with 39
Tanner Jeannot (LW)	LA Kings	Signed a 5yr contract, $17M contract
Parker Wotherspoon (LD)*	Pittsburgh Penguins	Signed a 2yr, $2M contract with the Penguins
Jordan Harris (LD)	Columbus Blue Jackets	Signed 1yr, $825k contact
Ian Mitchell (RD)*	Detroit Red Wings	Signed a 1yr, $775k contract with the Red Wings
Sean Kuraly (C)	Columbus Blue Jackets	Signed a 2yr, $3.7M contract for a 2nd tenure with BOS
Mikey Eyssimont (C/LW/RW)	Seattle Kraken	Signed a 2yr, $2.9M contract
Alex Steeves (LW)	Toronto Maple Leafs	Signed 1yr, $850k contract
Cole Koepke (LW)*	Winnipeg Jets	Signed a 1yr, $1M contract with the Jets
Brandon Bussi (G)*	Florida Panthers	Signed a 1yr 2-way contract with the Panthers
Vinni Lettieri (C/RW)*	Toronto Maple Leafs	Signed a 1yr, $775K contract with the Leafs

Fan favorite Sean Kuraly is back for a second tenure with the team, hopefully he can electrify the team this upcoming season with his energy and never quit mentality. Tanner Jeannot missed the last few games and all of the Kings postseason games with a groin injury, but is known for his size and has gotten pretty crafty at finding the back of the net recently.

What’s Bruin: James Hagens

With the Bruins 7th overall pick in this years draft, Sweeney and co had James Hagens fall into their lap. The New York native center is committed to Boston College and was hailed as one of the standout picks. The 5″11 center won gold at the past World Juniors in 2025, recording five goals and four assists. He was projected as a two way center noted for his fast skating and light edges.

Until Next Time

~ RJ