One of the many reasons why the Boston Bruins bounced back last season was that multiple of their players had breakout years. Among them were Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Jonathan Aspirot.

Now, the Bruins will be hoping that more of their young players can hit new levels for them next season in 2026-27. Matt Poitras is one specific breakout candidate from Boston to keep an eye on next season. 

It is fair to say that the 2025-26 season was frustrating for Poitras. The 22-year-old forward played in just three games for Boston after playing 33 games with the NHL club during both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. With this, he did not get too many chances with Boston last season, but the Bruins would be wise to change that in 2026-27.

While Poitras has struggled to become a full-time NHL player with the Bruins, that has the potential to change next season. At just 22 years old, Poitras is still plenty young enough to take that next step and break out. When noting that he is a skilled forward who has already shown promise with Boston in the past, the possibility of him breaking out next season should not be ruled out. 

If Poitras can take that next step and emerge as a top-nine forward for Boston, it would undoubtedly be good news for the Black and Gold. They need more skilled offensive players, and he should compete for a spot in their lineup because of it. 

Poitras has also had success in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. In 109 career AHL games, he has recorded 30 goals and 85 points. This included him posting 17 goals and 41 points in 40 games for Providence in 2024-25, so he has shown offensive potential.

It will now be interesting to see if can translate some of his AHL play over to the NHL level next season. If he can tap into the potential that once made him Boston's top prospect, he could emerge as a solid part of Boston's forward group next season, just like Minten and Khusnutdinov did in 2025-26.