How the Boston Bruins Were Built: Final 2025-26 Roster Edition
When the Boston Bruins were eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs it didn’t just mark the end of a season but the start of another one. Since then, the players, the management and especially the fans have all voiced that the team isn’t there yet as a strong contender, although it it’s a lot closer than it was a year ago.
So how will it get better? History and having a limited number of ways make the answer pretty obvious.
The draft is always a preferable way to improve, but most of the players being selected are just 18. Not only does it take years for them to develop, but few if any of the players on the current roster will still be around by the time they’re ready to play at the highest level.
Free agency can always be used but for the best players one has to outbid the competition and the salary cap comes into play. More often than not it’s used to fill holes in the lineup or land a certain type of player (like a right-handed shooting defenseman).
That leaves trading, and with most general managers around the league under pressure to win now it leads to a lot of deals every offseason. The Bruins are no exception as the majority of players on the roster were acquired through some sort of deal.
Boston, though, can claim that the heart of teams, core players Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman, were all draft selections who the team is being built around. Will James Hagens join them in that regard?
Trade (11)
Viktor Arvidsson, LW: Acquired via trade in July 2025 from Oilers, in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick
Henri Jokiharju, D: Acquired via trade in March 2025 from Sabres, in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick
Mark Kastelic, C: Acquired via trade in June 2024 from Senators, along with G Joonas Korpisalo and a 2024 first‑round pick (Dean Letourneau), in exchange for G Linus Ullmark
Marat Khusnutdinov, C: Acquired via trade in March 2025 from Wild, along with F Jakub Lauko and a 2026 sixth‑round pick, in exchange for F Justin Brazeau
Joonas Korpisalo, G: Acquired via trade in June 2024 from Senators, along with F Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first‑round pick (Dean Letourneau), in exchange for G Linus Ullmark
Hampus Lindholm, D: Acquired via trade in March 2022 from Ducks, in exchange for D John Moore and D Urho Vaakanainen, a 2022 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick
Fraser Minten, C: Acquired via trade in March 2025 from Maple Leafs, along with a 2025 fourth-round pick (Vashek Blanar) and a 2027 or 2028 first-round pick, in exchange for D Brandon Carlo
Casey Mittlestadt, C: Acquired via trade in March 2025 from Avalanche, along with F William Zellers and a 2025 second‑round pick (Liam Pettersson), in exchange for F Charlie Coyle and a 2026 fifth‑round pick
Andrew Peeke, D: Acquired via trade in March 2024 from Blue Jackets, in exchange for F Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick
Lukas Reichel, LW: Acquired via trade in March 2026 from Canucks, in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick
Pavel Zacha, C: Acquired via trade in July 2022 from Devils, in exchange for F Erik Haula
Free Agency (9)
Jonathan Aspirot, D: Signed as a free agent in July 2025
Mikey Eyssimont, C: Signed as a free agent in July 2025
Jordan Harris, D: Signed as a free agent in July 2025
Morgan Geekie, C: Signed as a free agent in July 2023
Tanner Jeannot, LW: Signed as a free agent in July 2025
Sean Kuraly, C: Signed as a free agent in July 2025
Elias Lindholm, C: Signed as a free agent in July 2024
Alex Steeves, C: Signed as a free agent in July 2025
Nikita Zadorov, D: Signed as a free agent in July 2024
Draft (5)
James Hagens, C: Selected first round (7th overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft
Mason Lohrei, D: Selected second round (58th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft
Charlie McAvoy, D: Selected first round (14th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft
David Pastrnak, RW: Selected first round (25th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft
Jeremy Swayman, G: Selected in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft
Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram for the latest Boston Bruins news.
Christopher Walsh is the publisher of Boston Bruins On SI. He's also the founder of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and the publisher of Nashville Predators On SI, along with the Boston College Eagles, Miami Hurricanes, and Vanderbilt Commodores sites. The longstanding sports writer is the author of 26 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.