The 2025 NHL season is coming up fast, and there are still some questions surrounding the Boston Bruins roster. Is this going to be the final product from general manager Don Sweeney for training camp next month? If so, it is a little underwhelming in terms of additions this offseason in what was supposed to be a retool for the Black and Gold.
The additions that were made this summer were mostly depth pieces for the bottom-six, which in reality is more blocking of prospects who could or need to make the jump to the NHL. There just hasn't been many options over the last couple of years for some of the Black and Gold's top younger players to find a way full-time onto the NHL roster. With that said, here are three Boston prospects who certainly feel like they are entering a make-or-break season with the organization.
1. Matthew Poitras
Of the prospects on this list, Matthew Poitras has by far the most NHL experience with the Bruins. He quickly impressed in his first training camp two years ago and made it impossible for Boston and Sweeney to send him back to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after his first 10 games.
However, injuries caught up with him from the wear and tear of an 82-game NHL grind of a regular season, and in February, he had season-ending shoulder surgery, which was a blow to him. Last season, he made the roster again out of camp, but was sent down to the minors in November with a message from former coach Jim Montgomery. He made a couple of trips back to Boston under Joe Sacco, but he played very well with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The addition of Fraser Minten from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season as part of the Brandon Carlo trade has made it more difficult for any of these prospects to make an impact, but this feels like a very big season coming up for Poitras.
2. Fabian Lysell
This one goes without saying. Since being drafted in the first round in the 2021 Entry Draft, Fabian Lysell has been considered one of the Bruins' top prospects, but his journey to the NHL isn't going as well as he or the organization would like four years later.
He played at the end of the year in Boston following the trade deadline fire sale by Sweeney and potted his first career NHL goal and showed flashes, but like Poitras and the rest of the prospects, where does he fit in with the Bruins' lineup? Could he be a second-line right wing? He has been the subject of trade rumors, and if things don't go well in training camp, does he get moved? Hopefully, he makes an impact, but it's going to be hard.
3. Georgii Merkulov
Since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, Georgii Merkulov has been good for the P-Bruins, but when he has gotten the call to the NHL, it hasn't gone well. He re-signed this offseason for one year, which was somewhat of a surprise, but he'll have to have a very impressive training camp to make the roster.
He'll likely end up in Providence again and play well down there, but whether or not he gets a shot in Boston remains to be seen. It wouldn't be surprising to see him called up, but after re-signing for one year, you get the feeling this is likely his last shot with the Black and Gold.
