5 burning issues for Boston Brown Bears entering 2025-26 – Hockey Writer – Boston Brown Bears
The Boston Brown Bear has a lot on its “to-do list” this season. Well, after the terrible last season, they have a lot to make up for. After a series of moves throughout the offseason, we will soon see if the team’s offense will click.
Some players will look for rebounding season one year later, while others will try to build on the momentum of professional sports in 2024-25. Either way, the team needs to answer a lot of questions as the season begins or even before it begins.
This is the most important question that Brown Bear needs to answer on opening night.
Who is the backup goalkeeper?
There is no controversy that Jeremy Swayman is the Bruins starter this season, but who will support him? Just before the free agent agency, management avoided losing one of their biggest prospects, Michael Dipietro, and signed a two-year contract. Most importantly, Joonas Korpisalo reportedly has a very voice in his desire for the game.
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It is presumably that the two goalkeepers will fight in the camp. However, given that Dipietro now has an NHL contract, management will likely show Korpisalo in the preseason to find the right trading partner.
If Dipietro hasn’t won a backup position at the end of the preseason, he will have to clear the waiver before returning to the American Hockey League (AHL). There is a good chance he will be taken over by another team, so if Dipietro is to be left in Boston, the Bruins must find Korpisalo’s trading partner.
With Brandon Bussi signing a two-way contract with the Florida Panthers this summer, Providence Bruins will be dealing with at least a brand new goalkeeper this season.
Will David Pastrnak reach 100 again?
David Pastrnak influenced every aspect of the game, whether it was even power, in 5th place, or a few times he found himself in the free throw box. Either way, when the team saw him coming, they smelled danger, like Ralph Wiggums.
Pastrnak has beaten at least 100 points in the past three seasons and tied for Bobby Orr’s franchise record in being the most continuation campaign, thus earning at least 100 points and four seasons.
One of the reasons for such high yields is his ability to stay healthy. Pastrnak has played in all 82 regular season games over the past three seasons. But that’s not the only reason. He also knows when to pass the puck and when to shoot.
They both performed well in 2022-23 when he scored a career-high 113 points (61 goals, 52 assists). However, last season, Pastrnak scored 106 points (43 goals, 63 assists), focusing more on playing and not shooting in the open lane.
If Pastrnak is focused on balancing his passes and shooting and doesn’t emphasize assists, he should be able to easily hit 100 points again, possibly even setting a career-high number.
Will any potential customers be called early?
All reinforcements brought during the offseason, the question is: What will happen to the NHL ready prospect? While some of them may receive calls, this could be due to injuries, parental leave or bereavement leave, rather than permanent positions.
It was an unfortunate turnaround for potential clients like Dans Locmelis, Ty Gallagher and Georgii Merkulov, with the NHL team having little to much depth to separate themselves from experienced veterans in Boston or Providence. While it’s nice to see them have an impact on the big clubs, they have a tiny look this season.
The Brown Bears need players like Mercklof and Gallagher because of the lack of left-handed forwards and right-handed defenders. This should give them a slight advantage over players like Locmelis, but if they want to stick with it after early October, they will need to impress head coach Marco Sturm.
Will the Bruins’ early home games affect their season?
The Brown Bears usually strike a good balance between family and away games to start the campaign. However, this season, they have five of their first 15 games on the road, including three games playing the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and Utah Mammoth on a Southwest trip.
In 2024-25, Boston played only seven of the first 15 games at home, with a record of 7-7-1. This season, they should be able to build identity and family ice advantage from jumps. While Home Ice Advantage can bring bonuses, it doesn’t guarantee it will be as we saw last season.
In 2025-26, the Bruins will play 10 of 41 home games in the first month at TD Garden, while 31 home games will be distributed in about four and a half months or seven home games per month. While that’s not bad, if the Bruins want a successful campaign, they need to win domestically and on the way. On the bright side, one of their toughest road trips didn’t last throughout the first and half of the season.
The Bruins’ Most Important Game to Begin the Season
It may be a cliché, but the Bruins’ first game of the season was their most important early stage. They visited the Washington capital on October 8 to open Alex Ovechkin’s final campaign, which gave Swayman a final goal-scoring test in the first game.
The preseason starts on September 21, 2025 and is also aimed at the capital. Before that, Boston had many questions to answer. These are just five that are still bypassing the team at the end of the offseason.
