Bruins miss playoffs for 1st time since 2015-16 season

The Boston Bruins failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015-16 after a run of eight consecutive appearances.

The Bruins (31-37-9) were eliminated from contention when the Montreal Canadiens won 3-2 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Over the past 17 seasons, the Bruins have only missed the playoffs twice, in 2014-15 and 2015-16, a run that saw them reach the Stanley Cup Final three times and win once, in 2011. They lost the Final in 2013 to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games and in 2019 to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.

Here’s a look at what happened in the 2024-25 season for the Bruins and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Cole Koepke, F; Vinni Lettieri, F; Patrick Brown, F; Henri Jokiharju, D, Parker Wotherspoon, D; Michael Callahan, D

Potential restricted free agents: Morgan Geekie, F; John Beecher, F; Marat Khusnutdinov, F; Jakub Lauko, F; Mason Lohrei, D; Ian Mitchell, D

Potential 2025 Draft picks: 8

What went wrong

Slow start: It was not unexpected that the Bruins might start slow. Goalie Jeremy Swayman missed all of training camp in a contract dispute that was only resolved two days before the season opener. Brad Marchand had three surgeries during the offseason, and David Pastrnak didn’t get to train as usual because of injuries as well. But it went far worse than anticipated; Boston lost seven of its first 11 games (4-6-1), with the team eventually firing coach Jim Montgomery on Nov. 19 after a 5-1 loss at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets that left it 8-9-3. The Bruins ended up in a hole they simply could not climb out of, no matter what changes they made or strategies they tried.

Defensive injuries: When a team built on its defense loses its top two defensemen, it’s not going to help. The Bruins saw Hampus Lindholm go down Nov. 12 with what ended up being a season-ending fractured patella. They then lost Charlie McAvoy at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, with the defenseman sustaining an infection and a significant injury to his AC joint. He has not played since he took the ice in the United States-Canada game on Feb. 15 after getting injured against Finland on Feb. 13. The injuries left the Bruins patching holes in their defense with young, unproven players who couldn’t quite fill the gaps.

Lack of scoring: It was 5-on-5, it was special teams, it was everything. The Bruins, who had expected to rely on their defense, didn’t have enough offense to make up for it when the defense and goaltending weren’t perfect, which they weren’t much of the season. Boston is 29th in the NHL at 2.62 goals scored per game. Its power-play percentage is 15.1, also 29th in the League. Outside of Pastrnak’s 94 points (40 goals, 54 assists) in 74 games, the next highest-scorers on the Bruins were Geekie with 50 points (28 goals, 22 assists) in 72 games and Marchand with 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games before the trade to Florida.

Reasons for optimism

Jeremy Swayman: There was no question that Swayman underestimated how much missing training camp would impact his season. Not that he would likely change his decision after it resulted in an eight-year, $66 million contract ($8.25 million average annual value). Now, though, he has to live up to the deal. His past performance, albeit splitting time with former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, indicates he should be far better than he was this season. The Bruins, however, will need to hope that by curtailing the number of times he starts three straight games -- an Achilles heel of his -- and by having him go through a full camp, he will be the player they had anticipated when he signed.

Trade Deadline haul: Understanding that the Bruins were not primed for a playoff run – even if they could have -- general manager Don Sweeney decided to sell off almost everything at the NHL Trade Deadline. In all, Boston acquired forward Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round draft pick and a 2025 fourth-round selection from the Toronto Maple Leafs in return for Brandon Carlo, a 2027 conditional second-round pick from the Florida Panthers for Marchand, forwards Casey Mittelstadt and William Zellers and a 2025 second-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche for Charlie Coyle, forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick from the Minnesota Wild for Justin Brazeau and defenseman Max Wanner, a 2025 second-round draft pick and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick from the Edmonton Oilers for Trent Frederic and Max Jones. It was a restocking the Bruins hope can push their retool forward.

David Pastrnak: He’s unlikely to receive Hart Trophy consideration given where the Bruins are and other candidates for the award, but Pastrnak has pulled them along sometimes single-handedly. His 94 points are 44 more than the next-highest total, Geekie, and he has done it playing on a line mostly with the latter and Pavel Zacha. And while Geekie and Zacha are nice players, neither comes close to approaching the line that Pastrnak once starred on with Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Pastrnak has taken on some added leadership as the only player remaining in the lineup with a letter, with Marchand traded and McAvoy injured, and his he has clearly led with his play on the ice. Pastrnak, who turns 29 next month, is still very much in his prime.