Can the Boston Bruins still salvage their remaining core and enjoy a turnaround season in 2025-26? Let’s see where they all stand.
Some names in the Bruins core are getting up there in age. And while they sent a few of them elsewhere at the trade deadline like Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle, there are still quite a few players left on the list.
For this article, I’m naming all key contributors who will be entering their age-29 season or later from the 2024-25 season. In total, there are six players listed, four of whom had been part of the Bruins core for at least a few years, and a pair of free agents who joined the club last summer.
So, based on how each player performed this season, is it worth keeping this core together or is it time to break them apart for good?
David Pastrnak
If there’s one player who’s kept his play as-is even with unfortunate circumstances going on in Boston, it’s David Pastrnak, whose 106-point, 43-goal outing at least gave fans a sliver of entertainment they expected from the entire team.
Regardless of whether the Bruins look to move forward with Pastrnak and the players listed below or if they’re looking to get rid of a few of them, keeping Pastrnak around is non-negotiable. He needs to stay in Boston so they have a player to build around in the short term.
Pavel Zacha
Pavel Zacha finished the year with 47 points and 14 goals in 82 games, a drop-off from the 50-plus-point seasons he enjoyed in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He’s been stellar in the faceoff circle, and easily puts up top-six minutes, but inconsistent play plagued Zacha this past season.
He also wasn’t as physical as we’d seen him last season, logging 63 hits after reaching the triple digits in 2023-24. Zacha’s goal-scoring also took a hit following back-to-back seasons of snagging 21.
With a few new faces inevitably heading to Boston, how will Zacha fare? It’s hard for me to see him becoming a 50-point, 21-goal scorer again with even a retooled crew, going from his modest numbers during his days in New Jersey.
It seemed like Zacha thrived with the Jim Montgomery-era Bruins. So I’d look into moving him if the price is right. He’s also got a manageable contract and minimal trade restrictions, so it’d be worth looking into. And yes, I got the St. Louis Blues on my mind as a destination.
Hampus Lindholm
Hampus Lindholm had been a staple since coming to Boston, leading the league with a plus-49 during that legendary 2022-23 campaign, and finishing with 10 goals and 53 points. That production dropped in 2023-24, but Lindholm still proved effective at getting in front of would-be shots on goal and he displayed solid playmaking abilities.
Then this year happened, and Lindholm finished the season with just seven points and three goals in 17 games. So, will Lindholm, heading into his age-32 season, return as the player he was after missing a significant portion of 2024-25? It’s tough to sway one way or another, but if I’m a team that just hosted a fire sale, Lindholm may be the next piece I’d move.
Nikita Zadorov
I was hoping to see Nikita Zadorov take off with the Bruins, and in many ways, he was a good fit, going to bat for teammates, getting in front of shots, and laying body checks. He also finished with a plus-25 rating, and he still gave the team top-four minutes.
But the problem was, even with some effective play, the Bruins didn’t do much to help themselves, and it seems like Zadorov wasted a year in Massachusetts. He’s one of those guys you’d like to keep around for his age-30 season and beyond.
Yet considering the mess the Bruins were, and how I’m not sold on two of the names listed above, it would be tough to keep a player like him around. Should the Bruins take the rebuilding route, they should get some inquiries if they decided to move Zadorov.
Elias Lindholm
You probably already know my thoughts on Elias Lindholm if you saw my piece from a couple of days ago. Lindholm underperformed when he was supposed to be one of the missing pieces to catapult the Bruins back into contention when they signed him to a seven-year deal last summer.
Yeah, looking back, that probably wasn’t Don Sweeney’s best decision, considering Lindholm’s 47 points and 17 goals in 82 games. He won faceoffs and played a physical game, so I can’t argue against him there. But we needed to see more production and Lindholm came up short. Still, it’ll be hard to move him with his current contract, age, and no-movement clause.
Brad Marchand
Surprised I’m mentioning Brad Marchand here? Hey, the longtime Bruins captain will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and Marchand’s production in Boston and Florida this past season hasn’t been bad. So, if the Bruins were to bring him back on a year-to-year basis for his age-37 season and beyond, it might be a good idea if you think the players listed above should return.
But as you could probably already tell, I’m not buying it. Yeah, if I had more faith in everyone listed above not named David Pastrnak and, to an extent, Nikita Zadorov, I’d say by all means, bring Marchand back on board. Yet that wasn’t the case, so any reunion with Marchand isn’t in the team’s best interests. Ditto for even players like Trent Frederic.
