BOSTON -- It was all smiles and excitement inside Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday afternoon. In less than 24 hours, the Boston Bruins will hit the ice for their first official training camp on-ice session, officially kicking off the 2025-26 season.
There's a feel in the air in Boston, one of unconditional opportunity for everyone in the organization. That opportunity only grows after the news of David Pastrnak's tendinitis, shelving him at least through Sunday's preseason game.
Recent Bruins News
Boston Bruins Set To Expand Zdeno Chara's Role With Franchise
Bruins' David Pastrnak Not Skating At Start Of Camp
EXCLUSIVE: Catching Up With Bruins' Top Prospect James Hagens
Bruins Haven't Begun Contract Talks With Big Defender
Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney insisted it's no big deal, but pointed directly to how big of an opportunity there is.
"It's an opportunity," Sweeney said. "For Marco to put a couple of other guys in the captain's seat, that they'll be excited to have."
As for Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm, he's acutely aware of the options in front of him.
"We decided for Pastrnak," Sturm said. "He's going to miss a few days. That's already another opportunity for some other guys, right? We didn't sign a PTO because of that reason. So there will be opportunities, and that's what I'm all excited about, right?"
Sweeney echoed his coach when asked about nobody joining Boston on a PTO (professional tryout contract).
"I had a lot of discussions. We decided we were not going to bring anybody at this time. I think that's a little bit of our determination of some of the players that we really want to see in some situations. We've done it in the past where [PTO] players have come in, and we've committed to [them] during camp and giving them a real good opportunity to make our team.
"And players have. This year, we just decided that as we're going through the process, we're going to stay committed [to the guys we have]. It doesn't mean we won't be keeping a close eye on several of those players that may or may not improve our team."
More Bruins News
Bruins Forward Loves Being Back In Boston
Sturm's Subtle Tweaks Highlight Day Two Of Bruins Training Camp
Bruins Exciting Prospect Is Dominating Right Now
Former Bruins Fan Favorite Scores Awesome Michigan Goal
That opportunity will be extended from young guys like Matthew Poitras and Fraser Minten to newly arrived veterans like Viktor Arvidsson and Tanner Jeannot. It's all about the roster here, getting first digs to make their mark.
"I believe in our players," Sweeney said. "Because I think for us, we're going to be a very competitive team. As I said before, I'm not hiding from the fact that we're going to have to produce by committee."
That scoring committee will have to come from guys like Pavel Zacha, Jeannot, and Arvidsson first and foremost. Any youngsters coming in will play with at least one of these veterans, leading the way. Sturm discussed all three players at length on Wednesday.
"Starting with Tanner," Sturm said. "Everyone knows he's going to play hard. If you look at him, he's in shape. He's like a machine, right? But he also, nobody really knows how important he is in the room."
"Arvy, he's a competitor," Sturm said about Arvidsson. "He's going to do well. I think that's something we needed for this team moving forward. Because he's going to push [everyone], he's not a vocal guy, but you guys will see it every day in practice. You will see it in games."
Sturm is still figuring out what's best for Zacha. "I love him as a center. I absolutely love him. But he might have to play wing anyway. I don't know."
Sturm went on to say Zacha can play anywhere well, and he has to see him from "behind the bench" before making final decisions.
Sturm insisted nobody draw conclusions based on early lines and combinations he shows starting tomorrow.
"Tomorrow, you're going to look at the lines a little bit," Sturm said. "I can guarantee you that that's not the lineup we're going to go with for game one. I can guarantee you it's not the line we're going to go with, probably even for game one in the preseason."
It's truly an open competition in Boston.
More Bruins News
Charlie Coyle Posts Heartfelt Goodbye To Bruins
Brad Marchand Shares Why Bruins Contract Talks Failed
Boston Bruins Set To Expand Zdeno Chara's Role With Franchise