5 Bruins Burning Questions For Next Season

Michael DeRosa

Jul 9, 2025, 13:38

Michael DeRosa

Jul 9, 2025, 13:38

The 2024-25 season was very disappointing for the Boston Bruins. After entering the campaign with high expectations, they were instead one of the worst teams in the NHL, ending the year with a 33-39-10 record.

Now, following their disastrous 2024-25 season, there are undoubtedly numerous questions surrounding the Bruins heading into 2025-26. Let's take a look at five burning questions heading into next season for the Bruins now.

Question 1: Will Jeremy Swayman Have A Bounce-Back Season?

After signing an eight-year, $66 million contract right before the start of the 2024-25 season, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman put together the worst campaign of his five-year career. The Anchorage, Alaska native was nowhere near his elite form, as he had a 22-29-7 record, a .892 save percentage, and a 3.11 goals-against average. His struggles were one of many reasons why Boston took a major step in the wrong direction.

If the Bruins hope to get back to being a playoff team next season, they will need Swayman to have a bounce-back season. He was excellent during his first four seasons with the Bruins before his nightmare 2024-25 campaign. He had a save percentage of .914 or better in each of them and memorably won the William M. Jennings Trophy alongside Linus Ullmark in 2022-23.

If the Bruins get the All-Star version of Swayman again, it would be significant for a team looking to be a playoff team again. Yet, if Swayman doesn't improve, it will be another long season in Boston.

Question 2: Will Morgan Geekie Have Another Big Year?

As terrible as last season was for the Bruins, Morgan Geekie was a major bright spot for the Original Six club. After struggling out the gate, Geekie dominated as the season went on and set new career highs with 33 goals, 24 assists, and 57 points. This included finishing the season on an 11-game point streak, where he had nine goals and 19 points.

Now, after landing his big six-year, $33 million contract, Geekie will look to prove that last season was not a fluke. If he continues to be a major difference-maker in the Bruins' top six, it would be huge for the Original Six club.

Question 3: Which Bruins' Youngsters Will Make The NHL Roster?

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney added multiple bottom-six forwards this off-season to Boston's roster, rather than bring in a true top-six winger or top-four defenseman. As a result, their forward group is now incredibly packed, and this could make it hard for Bruins youngsters like Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and Fraser Minten to make their NHL roster.

At this time, the Bruins have multiple options to consider for their bottom six, like Sean Kuraly, Michael Eyssimont, Tanner Jeannot, Marat Khusnutdinov, John Beecher, Viktor Arvidsson, and Mark Kastelic. With this, it will certainly be interesting to see if any of the Bruins' prospect forwards are able to earn spots in their lineup.

Question 4: Who Will Be The Bruins' Backup Goalie?

Barring a potential trade, the Bruins will enter training camp with a clear battle for their backup goalie spot. The Bruins notably re-signed goalie Michael DiPietro to a two-year, $1.625 million contract after his dominant season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, and he should have a chance of making Boston's roster. However, veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo also remains with the team now that we are nearing the middle of July.

If the Bruins end up keeping Korpisalo around, it will be fascinating to see who ends up being the Bruins' backup. Korpisalo had his struggles in his first season with Boston, as his .893 save percentage shows. DiPietro, on the other hand, had a 26-8-5 record, a .927 save percentage, and a 2.05 goals-against average in 40 games with Providence. Could that be enough for the 26-year-old to steal Korpisalo's job? We will see.

Question 5: Will The Bruins' Top Defensemen Stay Healthy?

Another notable reason why the Bruins' 2024-25 season was so disappointing was because of their injury trouble. This was especially on the blueline, as top defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm both missed significant time. McAvoy's season ended during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February when he suffered a serious shoulder injury. Lindholm appeared in just 17 games in 2024-25 after suffering an injury on Nov. 11 against the St. Louis Blues.

With McAvoy and Lindholm being such big pieces of the Bruins' defense, they will certainly be hoping that they can avoid the injury bug next season. If they end up being fully healthy, it would help the Bruins' chances of turning things around next year.

NHL News: Former Bruins Center Announces Retirement Another former <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins">Boston Bruins </a>forward is calling it a career. 