Early Bruins Lineup Projection: Where Will Peterka, Borgen Play?

Early Bruins lineup projection: Where will Peterka, Borgen play? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins have a better roster right now than they did last season. But whether it’s good enough to compete in a loaded Atlantic Division remains to be seen.

There are reasons to be optimistic, though.

The JJ Peterka addition — which cost the Bruins two first-round picks — provides much-needed speed and skill to the top-six forward group. James Hagens’ first full NHL season will be another fascinating storyline to watch. The No. 7 pick from the 2025 NHL Draft has top-six center potential.

Did the B’s overpay for Will Borgen? Probably, but the ex-New York Rangers defenseman is an upgrade over Andrew Peeke on the right side of the blue line.

And the Bruins still have one of the league’s best goalies in Jeremy Swayman.

How will the Bruins configure their lines and pairings on Opening Night in October? Let’s look at an early roster projection.

Forwards

The biggest offseason addition at forward was JJ Peterka — a speedy top-six wing who has scored 25-plus goals each of the last three seasons.

He should be able to hit the 30-goal mark for the first time if he plays alongside an elite playmaker in Pastrnak, who tallied a career-high 71 assists last season.

Pavel Zacha could center the Peterka-Pastrnak tandem, but Minten would be a good fit, too. The Bruins outscored opponents 22-7 during the 288 5-on-5 minutes that Minten and Pastrnak played together last season, per Natural Stat Trick. Minten scored a career-high 17 goals last year and could go up another level offensively next to Pastrnak.

Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt had remarkable chemistry last season, and along with Viktor Arvidsson, they formed one of the most productive lines in the league. Arvidsson is gone, but Morgan Geekie is pretty good in his own right. Geekie scored 33 goals in 2024-25 and then posted a career-high 39 goals last season. Critics constantly point at his high shooting percentage (22 percent last season), but we now have more than one season of him shooting above a 20 percent rate. He’s a legit goal scorer.

The third line is an interesting one. James Hagens is the team’s top prospect and immensely skilled offensively. Putting him next to a center in Elias Lindholm who understands the defensive aspects of the game and wins faceoffs consistently would help ease Hagens’ transition to the NHL. Marat Khustnutdinov has been a nice development win for the Bruins and his speed would be a nice fit next to Hagens.

The fourth line is pretty straightforward. Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic and Sean Kuraly played well enough together last season.

But this is one area where a younger player such as Alex Steeves or Matt Poitras could enter the mix based on how well they perform in training camp and the preseason. It’s time for Poitras to prove he can be a consistent NHL player.

Defensemen

The Bruins have too many players for six spots. A trade or another kind of move needs to be made to clear this logjam.

Connor Clifton was signed to a two-year deal in free agency, and he should replace Andrew Peeke as the third-pairing defenseman on the right side.

The Bruins gave up a second- and third-round pick to acquire Will Borgen from the Rangers last week. He is more of a defensive defenseman and doesn’t solve the Bruins’ need for more scoring from the blue line. But he does bring a physical element to the ice and should kill penalties, too.

Jonathan Aspirot is not your typical first-pairing defenseman, but he did find success next to McAvoy last season. The B’s outscored opponents 28-22 during the 490 5-on-5 minutes Aspirot and McAvoy played together last season, and that was with this duo starting just 41 percent of its shifts in the offensive zone.

Mason Lohrei is entering the final season of his two-year bridge deal. He is a talented offensive player and a good skater, but is he trustworthy enough in the defensive zone? He shouldn’t lack motivation in a contract year.

Jordan Harris was brought back on a one-year, one-way deal. Similar to Lohrei, Harris was a healthy scratch for multiple games against the Sabres in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.

Goaltenders

Starter: Jeremy Swayman

Backup: Michael DiPietro

The most encouraging development for the Bruins last season was Jeremy Swayman returning to the elite form we saw from him in the 2024 playoffs and before. Swayman ranked No. 2 in goals saved above expected and wins above replacement for goalies in the regular season, which helped him become a Vezina Trophy finalist. He then played really well against the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs.

The departure of Joonas Korpisalo, who was traded to the Rangers last week, opens up the backup job, and Michael DiPietro is the clear favorite to win that role. DiPietro played fantastic for the AHL’s Providence Bruins last season. He led the league in wins (30), GAA (1.90) and save percentage (.930).

The Bruins do a better job than most, if not all teams when it comes to developing goalies. A Swayman-DiPietro tandem has the potential to be one of the NHL’s best next season.