‘Dinged-up’ players should be ready to go when training camp opens in September, and other notes on the Bruins
The offseason outlook is a healthy one for the Bruins.
Several of Boston’s top performers revealed at the end of the playoff series with the Sabres they had been dealing with new and nagging injuries at different points throughout the season.
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The list of skating wounded was substantial:
Charlie McAvoy (broken right hand, dental work), David Pastrnak (groin tear), Nikita Zadorov (torn MCL), Viktor Arvidsson (fractured rib, punctured lung), Hampus Lindholm (foot fracture), Elias Lindholm (lingering back issue), and Pavel Zacha (high ankle sprain).
While acknowledging the club had several players “dinged up,” general manager Don Sweeney said he doesn’t believe any of the ailments will keep the players from being ready for the start of training camp Sept. 16.
Perhaps most concerning is Elias Lindholm. The center first hurt his back early in training camp in 2024 — his first as a Bruin. He tweaked it this past January but was able to return in time to play for Sweden at the Olympics, and the rest of the Bruins’ season. He acknowledged he was not 100 percent.
“He’s attacking it this summer, so we feel good about that,” Sweeney told the Globe at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo. “He was very proactive in what he wanted to do and accomplish this summer from a health standpoint, because he was frustrated by it.”
As for the other injuries, Sweeney doesn’t anticipate any problems moving forward.
“Zadorov’s knee is doing very well and on target for an absolute full recovery there, no issues,” the GM said. “McAvoy’s finger will be fine. The rest of the guys … We didn’t have any of the surgery side of things, we’re in pretty good shape there. We had a lot of — as everybody does in the playoffs — you get guys that are dinged up.”
Taking their time
The process for picking a captain is “ongoing,” according to Sweeney.
“Taking a little bit of time to breathe and have conversations with Marco [Sturm] and throughout the organization and just how we feel. We’re going to name a captain at some point in time. We’ve always said that we want this to be sort of an organic thing,” said Sweeney.
“It’s not a competition. It’s just who we feel best serves the best interest of the hockey club and the individual, because there’s a lot that goes with it. But, in particular, we have a couple of really, really high-end guys that we feel great about as longtime Bruins and as leaders.”
Pastrnak and McAvoy have been alternate captains for the last three seasons. Would naming one over the other as the 28th captain in franchise history lead to hurt feelings?
“I think your natural instinct would be to say yes,” said Sweeney. “Knowing both guys and their commitment level and how they interact with each other, I’d like to think no. When [Zdeno Chara] came in [and was immediately named captain in 2006], did somebody already here think that they got undercut?
“You never know. You make the decision, let’s hope your representative of the best interest of the club and everybody else is like, ‘Hey, shouldn’t affect my lot in life in terms of how I should be contributing.’ But they’re humans. They’re going to have a reaction one way or the other. You just make sure you have that conversation beforehand and after.”
Help on the way?
No official word from Causeway Street, though Elliotte Friedman reported this week the Bruins are poised to hire Matt McIlvane to replace Jay Leach on Sturm’s staff. McIlvane, who was on Sturm’s German Olympic team coaching staff in 2018, had recently signed a contract extension to continue as the San Diego Gulls’ coach. The Gulls are the Ducks’ AHL affiliate … The Hockey Hall of Fame will announce its 2026 inductees June 22. Among the first-year eligibles are ex-Bruins Patrice Bergeron (427 goals, 1,040 points, one Stanley Cup title, and two Olympic gold medals); David Krejci (231 goals, 786 points, one Stanley Cup); and Phil Kessel (413 goals, 992 points, three Stanley Cups) … Side note to the HHOF board: Keith Tkachuk (538 goals, 1,065 points) is long overdue for a call … Daxon Rudolph, one of the top defenseman eligible for the draft this month, said he had a “good talk” with Bruins officials at the combine. Rudolph, who collected 28 goals and 78 points in 68 games for the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders last season, counted McAvoy as a player he likes to model his game after. “I think just the completeness to his game. He kind of does everything out there,” said Rudolph. “He’s a little bit more physical than I am, but that’s something I can add to my game moving forward. I just really like his game at both ends of the ice.”
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