In the second of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins added five forwards in the offseason who are projected to be in the opening lineup one month from now. They are left wingers Viktor Arvidsson of Skelleftea, Sweden, Tanner Jeannot of Estevan, Saskatchewan, right wingers Matej Blumel of Tabor, Czech Republic, and American centers Sean Kuraly of Niagara Falls, New York, and Michael Eyssimont of Littleton, Colorado.
Viktor Arvidsson
The Edmonton Oilers traded Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a fifth round pick in the 2027 National Hockey League Entry Draft on Canada Day. The Bruins are the fourth team Arvidsson has played for following seven seasons with the Nashville Predators, three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, and one season with the Oilers. This past season with the Oilers, Arvidsson had 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points.
In Boston, Arvidsson is projected to be a second line winger alongside Casey Mittlestadt and Pavel Zacha. One reason why Arvidsson was traded by Edmonton in my opinion was because of his inconsistent defensive play. He was a -3 on a very good Oilers team, and had 52 more giveaways (67) than takeaways (15). One giveaway I saw first hand. It came in a 4-3 Oilers overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime on March 20, on a night Arvidsson was a -3.
Tanner Jeannot
Jeannot signed a five-year deal worth $17 million. He is joining his fourth NHL team after three seasons in Nashville, two seasons in Tampa Bay, and one season in Los Angeles. This past season, Jeannot had seven goals and six assists for 13 points. Known for his physicality, Jeannot has 403 penalty minutes in 294 games.
Matej Blumel
Blumel signed a one-year deal worth $875,000. He is projected to be on the Bruins third line with Jeannot and center Fraser Minten. Blumel spent two seasons with the Dallas Stars. In 2024-25, he had one goal in seven games. The goal came in a 4-1 Stars win over the Detroit Red Wings on January 19.
Sean Kuraly
Kuraly signed a two-year deal worth $3.7 million on Canada Day. Kuraly is returning to Boston after five years there from 2016 to 2021. He spent the last four years in Columbus. In 82 games in 2024-25, Kuraly had six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.
Michael Eyssimont
Eyssimont signed a two-year deal worth $2.9 million. He previously played two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, one season with the San Jose Sharks, three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and this past season with the Seattle Kraken. In 2024-25 with the Lightning and Kraken, Eyssimont had nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 77 games. Eyssimont is projected to be on a fourth line in Boston with Kuraly and John Beecher.
Projected Grade
In recent years, the Bruins seemed to get old fast. The core of their team for many years is now gone. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are retired, and Brad Marchand is in Florida. That leaves David Pastrnak trying to carry the Bruins offensively. For a team that had the fewest points in the East last year, they simply did not do enough in the offseason. That is why the Bruins offseason grade is a D.
