After a very disappointing 2024-25 season, the Boston Bruins will be looking to get back to being a playoff team in 2025-26. For this to occur, their top players will need to be on their A-games.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, there is no question that the Bruins have some notable bounce-back candidates to watch. Because of this, let's discuss five players who will be looking to turn things back around this upcoming campaign now.
Casey Mittelstadt
The 2024-25 season was a tough year for Bruins forward Casey Mittelstadt. After finishing with 59 points in 2022-23 and 57 points in 2023-24, he saw a noticeable dip in offensive production this past season. In 81 games split between the Colorado Avalanche and Bruins, he recorded 15 goals, 40 points, and a minus-29 rating.
Mittelstadt notably struggled after being acquired by the Bruins, too, as he recorded four goals, two assists, and a minus-17 rating in 18 games. Overall, Mittelstadt had trouble finding his fit with the Bruins following the move, but his past success shows that he has the potential to be an impactful offensive contributor. Let's see if he can get things back on track with Boston in 2025-26 because of it.
Elias Lindholm
After signing a seven-year, $54.25 million contract with the Bruins during this past off-season, Elias Lindholm performed below expectations in his first year with the Black and Gold. In 82 games with Boston in 2024-25, he posted 17 goals, 47 points, and a minus-4 rating. This was also the second year in a row that he had under 50 points.
Yet, given Lindholm's past success, there is reason to believe that the former 82-point forward can make a bigger impact for the Bruins offensively in 2025-26. Keep in mind, he had a lingering back injury last season and noticeably improved as this past campaign rolled on. In his final seven games of the season, he recorded four goals and nine points.
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Viktor Arvidsson
Viktor Arvidsson and the Edmonton Oilers were simply not a match last season. In 67 games during the 2024-25 season with the Pacific Division club, he posted 15 goals, 27 points, and a minus-3 rating. These are low numbers for Arvidsson's standards, but he also did not have a big role on the Oilers.
When looking at the Bruins' forward group, Arvidsson has a good chance of playing in their top six next season. Due to this, it is certainly fair to wonder if he can get his offense back up next season. Keep in mind, he had 26 goals and 59 points in 77 games with the Los Angeles Kings just back in 2022-23 and 15 points in only 18 games in 2023-24 with LA.
Tanner Jeannot
The Bruins made a surprising move this off-season when they signed tough guy Tanner Jeannot to a five-year, $17 million contract, which comes with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.4 million. When noting that Jeannot recorded just seven goals and 13 points in 67 games last season with the Kings, it is fair to argue that most people did not expect him to land a contract with that high of a cap hit and that much term.
However, could Jeannot be a sneaky bounce-back candidate for the Bruins heading into the 2025-26 season? During his rookie year in 2021-22 with the Nashville Predators, the 6-foot-2 winger set career highs with 24 goals, 17 assists, and 41 points in 81 games. While expecting to replicate that kind of production may be a stretch, it is fair to wonder if we could see his offense be a bit higher than his most recent seasons. This is especially so if he ends up landing a top-nine role with the Bruins, which is certainly a possibility.
Jeremy Swayman
Out of all the players discussed on this list, goaltender Jeremy Swayman is who the Bruins need to bounce back the most. This past season was a nightmare for the 2017 fourth-round pick, as he posted a 22-29-7 record, a 3.11 goals-against average, and a .892 save percentage in 58 games. He also had 11 appearances where he allowed five goals or more.
Yet, when looking at Swayman's past success, there is no question that he has the potential to have a bounce-back season. Before the 2024-25 season, Swayman had a .914 save percentage or better in each of his first four seasons. This includes just back in 2023-24 when he posted a 25-10-8 record, a 2.53 goals-against average, and a .916 save percentage in 44 games.
When playing at his best, Swayman has the ability to be a legitimate star, and the Bruins are hoping he will be just that for them in 2025-26.
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