The Boston Bruins are officially back, with training camp officially opening on Wednesday, with no on-ice activities scheduled.
As off-ice training commences, one Bruins restricted free agent remains unsigned as of Wednesday morning, and that's Matthew Poitras.
Poitras, 22, was the Bruins' second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Since then, Poitras has blossomed into a great prospect, but plateaued in 2025-26, spending the majority of the year with the Providence Bruins.
Poitras has 69 NHL games under his belt, and played just three games in the NHL this past year, scoring one goal.
In his previous 66 NHL games, Poitras has six goals and 26 points, a promising start for the young forward.
Poitras is the second Bruin in recent years to be unsigned as camp breaks, joining Jeremy Swayman's 2024 holdout as the second occurrence in three years.
Poitras' holdout could lead to a trade. The Bruins have a packed forward core even without Poitras in the fray, and this year, the young forward would require waivers to be sent down to Providence.
It's unlikely he would clear those waivers, and its unlikely Boston would want to lose the player for free in any scenario.
Fraser Minten and James Hagens both have surpassed Poitras in the organizational depth chart for centers, leading to persistent questions surrounding his Bruins future, especially after he's been tagged in trade rumors.
Additionally, depth forwards such as Mikey Eyssimont and Alex Steeves showed their worth throughout last season, with Boston turning to them to fill roles throughout the lineup in times of injury.
Poitras would have to unseat two of those players to crack Boston's lineup, with three of the four requiring waivers (Hagens does not) to be sent down to Providence.
The Bruins still have time, but it's not like the previously elongated training camps that went on for 2+ weeks. There are only four preseason games, instead of six this year.
The season starts in 13 days. The roster must be finalized in 12 days, with waiver cut downs coming on Sunday the 27th, if not sooner.
As things stand, the most likely outcome for the roster is to see one with Poitras either traded or snuck through waivers to Providence, and that's if he is even signed. One of Steeves or Eyssimont feels like they're on the chopping block as camp breaks, but time will tell just how the Bruins view things entering camp.
