Kuraly played the first three games of the season for Boston, but he will be a healthy scratch on Monday, making way for Matthew Poitras (lower body) to make his season debut. The 33-year-old Kuraly is averaging 12:13 time-on-ice and has zero points so far this season.
Poitras missed the final portion of training camp and preseason games due to a lower-body injury, but he will return to the lineup to make his season debut on Monday against the Ottawa Senators. After taking encouraging steps by playing 33 games in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons in Boston, Poitras was limited to just three NHL games in 2025-26, spending most of the season with Providence (AHL), where he scored 44 points (13G / 31A) in 69 games.
Jeremy Swayman had a miserable 2024-25 season after signing a massive eight-year contract extension, posting an ugly 3.11 GAA and .892 SV% in 58 games (22-29-7). There were concerns in the organization regarding the contract, but he followed that up with a solid 2025-26 season, posting a 2.71 GAA and .907 SV% in 55 games (31-18-4). Now, the 27-year-old goalie seems to be continuing his upward trajectory, opening the season with a 1.47 GAA and .947 SV% through his first two games (2-0-0). The Bruins enter the action on Monday as +105 home underdogs against the Ottawa Senators.
Jeremy Swayman had a miserable 2024-25 season after signing a massive eight-year contract extension, posting an ugly 3.11 GAA and .892 SV% in 58 games (22-29-7). There were concerns in the organization regarding the contract, but he followed that up with a solid 2025-26 season, posting a 2.71 GAA and .907 SV% in 55 games (31-18-4). Now, the 27-year-old goalie seems to be continuing his upward trajectory, opening the 2026-27 season with a stellar 24-save shutout in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers. The Bruins enter the action on Friday as slight +104 road underdogs against the Winnipeg Jets.
Swayman is entering his seventh season in the Bruins' crease and will unsurprisingly start Boston's season opener on Tuesday when they host New York at TD Garden. The 27-year-old is coming off an impressive bounce-back campaign in 2025-26 that saw him finish fourth in the NHL in wins (31) alongside a 2.71 GAA and .908 SV%. He will host the Rangers on Tuesday, who are coming off a forgettable 2025-26 campaign which saw them finish eighth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 34-39-9.
Poitras suffered a lower-body injury in practice and missed the Bruins' preseason finale on Friday. Poitras appeared in only three NHL games last season and was likely headed for waivers if he didn't land on IR to start the season. The Bruins will have a decision to make about the 2022 2nd-round pick when he's healthy.
McAvoy was suspended after the Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs last season for slashing Zach Benson in Game 6. McAvoy's absence means room for a young defenseman to crack the opening night roster like Frederic Brunet, who worked on PP2 on Tuesday. McAvoy will be eligible to return to the lineup in San Jose on October 13th.
Boston solidified some offensive depth on Thursday after they announced they had signed Providence (AHL) forward Riley Duran to a one-year, two-way contract. The 24-year-old joined Boston's organization from Providence College (NCAA) in 2023-24 and has appeared in 132 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) across the last two seasons. He made his NHL debut last season, failing to pick up a point across two appearances.
Injuries have afforded Patera a few looks at NHL exposure over the past few seasons, but none have stuck. The 27-year-old goalie spent most of 2025-26 in the AHL, where he posted a 2.63 GAA and .910 SV% in 30 games (12-14-2) with the Abbotsford Canucks.
Halonen had a 15-game stint with the New Jersey Devils last season, a career-high, scoring two points (1G / 1A). That said, the undrafted 27-year-old forward spent most of 2025-26 in the AHL, where he scored 34 points (20G / 14A) in 51 games with the Utica Comets.
