Fresh off their worst season in almost 20 years, and with a new head coach in town, the Bruins are ready to get back to work.
Every Bruins player has been quick to remind you that this is the longest offseason of their careers, and something they don’t want to go through again. For every returning player, there’s a bitter taste from last season still lingering, and they know the only way to get rid of it is to simply win.
And that will be a steep challenge for the Bruins out of the gate, as the Black and Gold will kick their 2025-26 season off with… a showdown against the top team in the Eastern Conference a season ago in the Washington Capitals.
“Lots of ‘em, especially in this rink here,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said Wednesday when asked about the challenges the Capitals present the Bruins. “It’s a powerhouse. I played here for a short time, so I know how effective the fans can be. Some really good skill, good forwards, and overall a good structured team. It’s gonna be a great test for us.”
Here’s a look at five players to keep tabs on when the puck drops in DC…
Morgan Geekie
Sep 21, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins center Morgan Geekie (39) skates in the offensive zone during the first period against the Capitals at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images)
If we’re being honest, Bruins winger Morgan Geekie‘s 33-goal breakout campaign was one of the few positive developments for the Bruins a year ago. And now, with a long-term deal to his name, Geekie is going to have to prove that he is indeed this guy for the Black and Gold every year.
The good news is that Geekie looked like the same player he was a year ago during Boston’s preseason slate, and he’ll have some familiarity off the bat, as the Bruins plan on keeping him with Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak. This line absolutely cooked in their limited sample size a year ago, too, as the Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak line outshot opponents 55-38 and outscored them 16-4 in just under 94 minutes of five-on-five time together.
And Geekie was one of the few Bruins to put some strong numbers against the Caps a season ago, with three assists in two games.
Fraser Minten
Oct 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Fraser Minten (93) controls the puck against the New York Rangers during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Slated to skate in the middle of Boston’s third line, with Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont as his wingers, the Bruins hope that Minten will be able to play ‘free’ with those two creating space for him through the middle.
Minten, who was acquired from Toronto in the deadline deal that shipped Brandon Carlo to the Maple Leafs, put up one goal in six appearances with the Big B’s to close out his 2024-25 campaign. Overall, the 21-year-old has three goals and five points in 25 NHL games between the B’s and Leafs.
Hampus Lindholm
Sep 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) with the puck during the second period against the Flyers at TD Garden. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Here’s an insane note for you: It’s been almost 11 months since we’ve last seen Hampus Lindholm skate in a regular-season NHL game. Shelved with a fractured patella suffered last November — and officially ruled out for the 2024-25 year when some hardware issues in the surgically-repaired knee popped up during some rehab attempts — Lindholm is back and ready to go.
For what it’s worth, Lindholm looked strong in his preseason showings, with no noticeable issues in his skating game, and with plenty of confidence when it came to some offensive-zone activations. (Lindholm is always at his best when he’s getting some puck touches and allowed to take some chances in the attacking zone.) It’s also worth mentioning that Lindholm was looking like one of the lone bright spots on last year’s team before the injury.
The 31-year-old Lindholm is expected to begin his season opposite Andrew Peeke on Boston’s second pairing, and will skate on the second power-play unit. The 6-foot-4 Lindholm also comes into this game with six goals and 15 points in 21 career games against the Capitals.
Ryan Leonard
Apr 1, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Capitals right wing Ryan Leonard (9) eyes the puck against the Boston Bruins during the first period at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson-Imagn Images)
When talking about the Capitals, it’s easy to focus on names like Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and even John Carlson. These guys have torched the Bruins for years and years and years. But there’s a new name emerging for the Capitals, both in terms of being a pain-in-the-ass to play against and a high-ceiling talent, and that’s winger Ryan Leonard.
A Massachusetts native and the No. 8 overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, Leonard jumped to the pros last year after a stellar career at Boston College, and played a small role for the East-best Capitals down the stretch. This time around, the role will certainly increase, and so will his comfort as a result.
Leonard is a player who can impact the game from the high-danger areas, and may present some sneaky-big challenges for the Bruins if utilized in a third-line role against some favorable matchups.
Aliaksei Protas
Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Aliaksei Protas (21) watches the puck during the first period against the Blackhawks at Capital One Arena. (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)
Another name that may not have the cache of Washington’s superstars, don’t sleep on what Aliaksei Protas can do against the Bruins.
A 6-foot-6, 247-pound forward, Protas comes into tonight’s contest coming off what was a 30-goal, 66-point campaign for the Caps a year ago. This dude has size, hands, can play all over, and is an even-strength killer. Protas also had some serious success on the penalty kill, too, as his five shorthanded points were tied for the 11th-most among NHL forwards last season. The Bruins as a team surrendered a league-high 13 shorthanded goals, by the way.
But Protas also loved playing on Capital One Arena ice, as he scored 17 goals and 37 points in 39 games in DC, which was third-most on the Caps.
Protas, who will skate with Ovechkin and Dylan Strome on Washington’s top line, also had two goals and a helper in three games against the B’s last year.