The Boston Bruins have eight picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the most general manager Don Sweeney has had since they had seven picks in 2021 and 10 picks in the 2015 draft. Given the lack of picks and more pressing need for centers, the front office has been rightfully prioritizing collecting as many centers as possible in the last few drafts.
So far, it’s looking like this strategy may end up paying off in the next few seasons with Matthew Poitras already getting NHL ice time and Dans Locmelis impressing many at the World Championship. Even with their successes, the center position must still be the priority at the 2025 Draft, particularly when they have the seventh-overall pick. But, since they have a full slate of picks this year, they can afford to branch out and look at the other positions, particularly the goaltenders.
Why Pick a Goalie?
The Bruins have been blessed with strong goaltending for the last two decades, and have been particularly good at identifying talent who had yet to have any NHL pedigree or experience. They drafted Jeremy Swayman in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, traded for a young Tuukka Rask without any NHL games under his belt, and took a chance on Tim Thomas, who hadn’t managed to make it up to the NHL and went to Europe early in his pro career.
The Bruins goaltending is in a bit of flux at the moment. Swayman had a bad 2024-25, but should hopefully bounce back in 2025-26. Joonas Korpisalo is a decent backup, but not a long-term option. They have solid prospects in Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro, but both are free agents this summer and similar in age to Swayman, so they may be eager to move on to a new organization with a better chance of making an NHL roster.
Outside of that, the Bruins have Simon Zajicek, a 23-year-old they just signed out of Czechia and is expected to debut in North America for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2025-26. They also have Philip Svedebäck, who they selected in the 2021 Draft, and is currently playing for Providence College in the NCAA.
The last time the Bruins drafted a goalie was in 2022 when they selected Reid Dyck. But he and the Bruins were unable to come to terms on an entry-level deal, and they lost his exclusive rights. So the team’s youngest goaltender in the system is 22, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering goalies tend to take a bit longer to develop than other positions, but it is probably a good idea to get a new kid into the system. With eight draft picks in 2025, they can afford to use one on a goaltender.
Personally, I think the Bruins should use their fourth- or fifth-round pick for a goalie. More and more teams are moving away from selecting goalies in the first round, meaning there tends to be a lot of top talent available in the middle rounds of the draft. With their forward depth the most pressing issue, their first-round pick and two second-rounders should all be used on forwards, then a defenseman in round three or four, and then a goaltender.
Who May Be Available?
The Bruins have the 100th-overall pick in the fourth round and the 133rd-overall pick in the fifth round. Assuming the top prospects Joshua Ravensbergen, Jack Ivankovic, Pyotr Andreyanov, Aleksi Medvedev, Lucas Beckman, and Semyon Frolov all go in early rounds, Boston could be looking at guys like Love Härenstam, Mans Goos, and Louis-Antoine Denault as options.
Härenstam, out of Sweden, has impressed at international tournaments, helping Sweden to a bronze medal at the U18 Worlds. He’s a little undersized at the moment, but is praised for his athleticism and technical skills. While Härenstam was the number one at U18 Worlds, his goalie partner, Goos, also impressed in a limited showing. While he lacks some technical skills at the moment, he also has strong athletic abilities and currently stands at 6-foot-5, giving him great size in net. Finally, if looking at goaltenders with size, Denault stands at 6-foot-8 and is currently ranked fifth by Central Scouting amongst North American goalies.
Importance of the 2025 NHL Draft
While the likelihood of anyone selected in the 2025 Draft playing on the Bruins’ roster in 2025-26 is slim to none, it is still essential for the front office to nail this draft. The franchises’ pipeline has been lingering at the bottom of the rankings for a while now, and even if they become competitive again next season, they’ll be right back in this position in another season or two if they can’t finally draft and develop young talent.
This week, Sweeney was given a contract extension, certainly an interesting decision after the 2024-25 season they had. With his drafting history and the disappointing response team management has given when questioned about that, the pressure is on more than ever.
For the most part, the Boston fan base has focused most of their frustrations with this past season on Sweeney. But, in a season or two, if this 2025 draft class isn’t looking too hot, the ire should rightfully switch more towards president Cam Neely and the team ownership for continuing to award a guy who has been good, but always a few steps away from achieving greatness.
