Boston Bruins
Which Young Bruins Players Have The Best Chance Of Making The Roster?
The youth movement is in full effect for the Boston Bruins, or at least it was.
After selling off core pieces at the trade deadline last year and opening new opportunities for their prospects, it appeared the Bruins were ready to reinvigorate their lineup heading into the 2025-26 campaign. But with several veteran additions through free agency, those opportunities have suddenly dwindled.
The organization has seemingly placed a road block in front of its young talent. Roster spots won’t be given to them, but rather earned through internal competition against the veteran incumbents and amongst each other.
As the Bruins’ depth chart currently stands, there are six roster spots available. (four forward positions, one on defense, and one in goal). Here’s which young players have the best chance at grabbing them.
Fraser Minten:
The focal point of this season for the Bruins is re-establishing their defensive identity, which plays perfectly into the hands of Fraser Minten.
While many of the other young hopefuls will have to rely on their ability on offense to make the team, Minten’s strong two-way play makes him a front-runner to earn a roster spot.
The 21-year-old arrived in Boston last season at the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the return for Brandon Carlo, and was called up not too long after.
Minten dressed six games for the Bruins down the stretch. Although he recorded only one goal, he showed his acumen for playing in his own zone by anchoring the third line and logging time on the penalty kill. He could very well take on the role once again this year.
Michael Callahan:
As the lone defenseman of the bunch, Michael Callahan has as good a chance as anyone to make Boston’s opening night roster as the extra body for the back end. If he’s able to beat out the newly acquired Jordan Harris and Victor Soderstrom, that is.
Callahan, 25, appeared in 17 games for the Bruins last season, accumulating 14:09 of time on ice per night and tallied a single goal. He was typically deployed for defensive zone shifts and largely held his own, even against difficult matchups such as Nathan MacKinnon.
Given his defensive tendencies, Callahan may in fact have the advantage in the triple threat match. Harris is more known for his play in the attacking end. Plus, Soderstrom has appeared in just three NHL games over the last two years.
Nevertheless, the battle between the three for the seventh defenseman role will be an underlying story during training camp.
Matthew Poitras:
It’s debatable who needs Matthew Poitras to make the team more, the Bruins or Poitras himself.
Of course, Poitras would like to break camp with the Bruins. Poitras struggled through pair of stints in Boston last year and was eventually demoted to AHL Providence after playing in only 33 games at the NHL level, so he should come into training camp with a hair across his you know what.
But say, for whatever reason, Poitras isn’t on the opening night roster and is instead back in Providence to start the year. It’ll be as damaging for the Bruins as it is him. Not only would it essentially signal that the Bruins have little belief in the young forward, but likely wipe out any value he has a potential trade chip as well.
Standing 5 ’11″and 180 pounds, Poitras’ size has always been his downfall. That could be the case once again with the Bruins continuing to prioritize playing with physicality.
Marat Khusnutdinov:
Another trade deadline acquisition by the Bruins last year, Marat Khusnutdinov had an early audition for the team over the final few weeks of last season, posting five points with three goals and two assists over 18 games.
Like Poitras, size isn’t on Marat Khusnutdinov’s side, either.
What is, though, is that, even if he doesn’t claim a spot in the starting lineup, he’s probably more apt to stick on the roster as an extra forward than Poitras or Fabian Lysell.
Fabian Lysell:
Perhaps the poster child of what used to be a concerningly shallow Bruins prospect pool, Fabian Lysell appeared to be yet another in a long line of disappointing first-round draft picks by the organization.
The former 21st overall pick in 2021 didn’t make his NHL debut until last season. Like all young players, he experienced difficulties making the adjustment but began to find his footing as the year came to a close, finishing with three points over his final five games.
As always, a willingness to compete is the chief concern when it comes to Lysell. If there was ever a time to dissuade those worries, it’s now.
Dans Locmelis:
Coming out of UMass, Dans Locmelis opened quite a few eyes during his short time in AHL Providence last season, and even more on the international stage while playing for Latvia in the World Championships earlier this summer.
However, that all came in a limited sample size, and the Bruins likely want Locmelis to develop in the minors for a little longer before adding him to the main roster.
The 21-year-old wing simply has too many players in front of him to leapfrog for spot on the team, even if he puts together a strong showing in training camp.
Michael DiPietro:
Michael DiPietro was far and away the best goalie in the AHL last season, and will have his work cut out for him as he tries to beat out two established NHL goalies in Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo.
In actuality, the competition is between DiPietro and Korpisalo for the right to be Swayman’s backup, who owns the starting role as long as he’s in Boston. Korpisalo was unhappy with the amount of playing time he had last season and will make a heavy push for more this year, while DiPietro is hoping to prove he can make it at the next level.
The crease isn’t big enough for the both of them.
Georgii Merkulov:
It came as a surprise to see the Bruins re-sign Georgii Merkulov in restricted free-agency.
By his own admission, Merkulov had a hard time in his few appearances with the team last year, generating just one point in six games while also having his fair share of mishaps on defense as well.
It also should be noted that Merkulov isn’t exactly a spring chicken anymore, either, and will be 25 years old when the regular season begins. If he doesn’t develop into an NHL talent by then, it’s unlikely he ever will.
