NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1.
Today, three important questions facing the Boston Bruins.
1. Can JJ Peterka have a bounce-back season?
In 2024-25, Peterka had 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games with the Buffalo Sabres.
In 2025-26, Peterka had 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games with the Utah Mammoth.
How close the Bruins can get Peterka to the former production may well dictate how far they can go this season. Peterka, 24, was the big offseason acquisition, a wing with speed and skill to bolster the offense. The thinking was that not only was he cost controlled -- with four years remaining on a five-year, $38.5 million contract ($7.7 million average annual value) -- but that he could find comfort with a coach from his native Germany (Marco Sturm) and an assistant coach to whom he has long been close (Matt McIlvane).
General manager Don Sweeney has mentioned how excited power-play coach Steve Spott would be to have Peterka and his left-handed shot and speed, so the Bruins will do all they can to get him to the point totals he had in Buffalo -- and perhaps beyond.
2. Can the young players take another step forward?
It’s not exactly a youth movement, but a handful of young Bruins players could make the difference between a second straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and a season on the outside looking in.
That starts with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, two players who impacted the team far more than almost anyone anticipated in 2025-26. Minten, 22, had 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 82 games and became one of Sturm’s most trusted centers, demonstrating his ability to be a true 200-foot player. Khusnutdinov, 24, had 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 77 games.
Each played as high as the top line and proved that he could belong there.
The Bruins this season will add 19-year-old James Hagens, who made a cameo at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. Hagens, the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, will likely start on the wing but could move back to center. Defenseman Frederic Brunet, 22, also could make the jump to the NHL.
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3. How do the Bruins shore up their defense?
The idea last season was that the Bruins would shut down opponents defensively and that they’d have to create just enough offense to squeak by. Instead, Boston was tied for 10th in the NHL in scoring (3.27 goals per game) and more middling defensively (3.01 goals allowed per game, 14th fewest).
So defense is clearly a question mark. And that starts immediately with Charlie McAvoy set to serve a six-game suspension to start the season, a result of a slash on the Sabres’ Zach Benson in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round.
The Bruins traded for Will Borgen from the New York Rangers and signed Connor Clifton in free agency, but figuring out the combination that will serve Boston best will be a puzzle for Sturm and company.