Ladies and gentlemen, it's officially game day for the Boston Bruins for the first time when it counts since April.
The Bruins host the New York Rangers inside TD Garden with puck drop scheduled for just after 8 o'clock. Simultaneously, the Boston Red Sox take on the New York Yankees in the Bronx, cementing today as a massive Boston vs New York day.
This Bruins' summer featured tons of chatter about Boston trying to improve, with a key addition in JJ Peterka while right-shot defensemen Will Borgen and Connor Clifton arrive to try to stabilize Boston's right side.
They're not alone in hunting down reinforcements. The Florida Panthers added Brady Tkachuk. The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Kirill Marchenko on Monday, along with drafting Gavin McKenna first overall.
The season is filled with unknowns and reasons to get excited. Let's make some bold predictions.
Bold Prediction #1: JJ Peterka Scores 35+ Goals
Starting off with Boston's biggest summer addition, JJ Peterka. The Bruins acquired Peterka from the Utah Mammoth for two first-round picks on draft day back in June.
Since then, and now having seen a full training camp, boy, does Peterka look real good with the Bruins. He's been stapled on the opposite wing of David Pastrnak in the run up to the season, along with a key spot on the top power play unit.
Utah did not give him a fair shake of ice time last year, and he still managed to pot 25 goals while receiving just under 16 minutes per game.
Boston's likely to give him 18 to 19, maybe even 20 minutes a game. Peterka set a career-high in goals with 28 in 2023-24.
This year, Peterka is going to play with the best player he's ever played with in the NHL in Pastrnak. Everyone saw how elite Pastrnak's playmaking was last year, as Morgan Geekie scored a career-high 39 goals.
This year, it's Peterka's turn. He will score 35+ goals, setting a new career-high and becoming the best move of the summer.
Bold Prediction #2: The Bruins Make 5+ Trades During The Season
The Bruins have the potential to be one of the busiest teams in hockey throughout this upcoming year.
Just today, Elliotte Friedman reported the Bruins are actively trying to trade Henri Jokiharju, and wonders about Matthew Poitras' future with the team.
Poitras would not clear waivers, and the Bruins wouldn't want to lose him for nothing. Jokiharju, if Boston retains salary, could yield a draft pick return.
If the season goes well, Don Sweeney has draft capital and a lot of cap space to bolster the squad.
If things go poorly, Pavel Zacha, Casey Mittelstadt, and Mason Lohrei are the top names likely to be dealt out. The two forwards are pending UFAs, while Lohrei is a pending RFA with an unknown future.
All told, the Bruins will make 5+ trades in-season this year.
Bold Prediction #3: James Hagens Scores 20+ Goals, 50+ Points
Easily the boldest prediction on the list, but I believe rookie forward James Hagens is going to light up the NHL in his rookie year, forcing his way further up the lineup and become a massive contributor for the Bruins this season.
Hagens has all the potential in the world, and now he's got all the opportunity he could need.
Hagens may start slow, but will gain the necessary confidence and will finish top-five in Bruins players in goals by season's end.
