Boston Bruins
“There aren’t even 32 of them in the league.”
James Huggins has plenty of room to grow in his first full NHL season in 2026-27. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
Don Sweeney and the Bruins’ top brass have a lot of work to do this summer if this roster wants to take another step forward next season amid a growing Atlantic Division field.
Don Sweeney and the Bruins’ top brass have a lot of work to do this summer if this roster wants to take another step forward next season amid a growing Atlantic Division field.
As Swinney and Cam Neely emphasized last Wednesday, speed and skill appear to be the top priority for a Boston team that has been unable to keep up with the deeper, faster Sabres club in the playoffs.
There also needs to be more minutes to eat on the blue line to mitigate the constant barrage of pucks and first-class looks that Jeremy Swayman has ignored throughout the 2025-26 season.
But, as Neely frankly admitted at TD Garden, Boston’s efforts toward transforming its name from a retooling team into a thriving contender will likely be stuck in neutral as long as there is a glaring vacancy in Boston’s frontcourt.
“All of us, in this room, realize that we don’t have the real No. 1 C,” Neely said. “That’s something we want to try to get right, whether it’s the holiday season or those people who are thriving in it. But it’s something we know there’s a need.”
Finding a franchise center — one capable of leading the play at the top of the offensive line and making his presence felt on special teams — is easier said than done.
He’s an organizational North Star that the Bruins have been pursuing for years since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci hung up their skates in 2023. Boston’s state of retooling is largely rooted in the club’s inability to devise a sustainable succession plan long before Bergeron and Krejci reach their last legs.
Despite Boston’s hopes that Elias Lindholm can replicate at least some of Bergeron’s two-way prowess and scoring punch, the 31-year-old forward has struggled during his two years in Boston, with a lingering back injury compromising some of his skating ability.
Lindholm, who finished the year on Boston’s third line, still has five more years on his deal at $7.75 million per season.
Pavel Zacha, who started his career year with 30 goals and 65 points, can serve as a versatile and effective midfielder. But it’s probably asking a lot of him to lead play in a major role, while his struggles in the postseason (two goals in 31 playoff games) raise some eyebrows.
Boston could try to package picks, prospects and other assets into a massive trade package this summer to try to pry an established center like Robert Thomas from St. Louis. But given the low supply of true elite pivots in the league, the asking price will be steep.
“Even at the trade deadline that you’re scouting, whether it’s this time or the summer, you realize that when you make a call on a player of that nature that you just described, the guy on the other side says there aren’t even 32 of them in the league,” Swinney said last week when asked about pursuing No. 1 centers via trade.
Trades for distressed assets or players flagged with red flags like Elias Pettersson or Mason McTavish could be a potential pivot for Sweeney and his staff if they are banking on upside and willing to invite more risk into building their roster.
However, there’s no guarantee that such a move would lock Boston in long-term in 1C — and it could quickly turn into a disaster if the Bruins are saddled with another onerous contract, or see some of their trade chips flourish elsewhere.
There is another path that may require more patience. But, if the Bruins are willing to play the long game, could Boston already have a pair of potential top-line centers already on their roster in Fraser Minten and James Hagens?
Even with the expected growing pains that have presented themselves this season for the 21-year-old Minten and 19-year-old Hagens, Neely believes the upside is there for both young forwards to anchor Boston’s pivotal pipeline for the foreseeable future.
“I think they both have that skill set,” Neely said. “They’re two little different players. One of them is more like Bergey as he is a 200-footer and maybe a player [doesn’t] Seeing ice as Hagens does.
“Hagens’ head is up all the time, and he’s constantly looking to distribute. … Whether they become the No. 1 or not, that’s up to them and how it goes for them and what the path is for them. We want to give these guys every opportunity to take the job that’s staring at them.”
Minten, who played a full 82 games for Boston this season at center, has all the makings of a future top-six player in the black and gold jacket.
Initially expected to be a two-way third-line center at the NHL level, Minten has spent a large portion of this season on the top line next to David Pastrnak and Marat Khusnutdinov.
Ramping up Minten’s reps next season after averaging 15:33 of ice time per game in 2025-26 is the next order of business, which will likely become viable if Boston gets the No. 6 spot for the young forward moving forward.
The Minten floor has already established itself as a reliable 200-foot center man. If he can develop his offensive game after scoring 17 goals and 35 points in his first full NHL campaign, Boston could have a franchise starter.
“People originally described Fraser as a one-man player,” Sweeney said. “Why put a cap there? We’ll see what he does. I think you described Bergey not necessarily being described as the Hall of Fame player he became when he first started out of the gate. But still, hopefully every one of those guys can reach the highest level.”
Hagens offers more upside as a true top-line center – able to split up defenses and elevate his teammates on every shift.
But given his age and lack of experience at the NHL’s highest level, it’s unrealistic to expect the seventh pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to immediately flourish as a 70-point solid in 2026-27.
Although Hagens’ skating skills, elite work and playmaking prowess are exciting, the Bruins expect plenty of bumps in the road next season as the Boston College product tries to find his footing among the pros. Starting on the wing still appears to be the expected path for Huggins entering the new season before he is moved into the centre.
“James will get a chance in the middle of the ice,” Swinney said. “The entry point is a little easier on the wing, as we always talked about.”
The Bruins would welcome any scenario in which Hagens or Minten thrives and eventually earns a key role in Boston, with the other settling into a vital spot on the second line.
But, as with every young player, there is often a great deal of variance between expected production and profiles – and what actually shows itself over the course of an 82-game season.
Even if both Hagens and Minten reach the cap, it’s certainly not expected to happen as soon as the 2026-2027 season.
There’s a lot to like about both Hagens and Minten and how they could become key players in Boston’s lineup.
But, it remains to be seen if the Bruins front office — looking to capitalize on any momentum captured by a brief playoff experience — has the patience necessary to allow both young men to grow into those critical roles.
“Sometimes it has to be done by committee,” Sweeney said of identifying key positions. “I hope it grows and hits oil.”
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