Bruins announce roster for preseason game vs. Flyers – 98.5 The Sports Hub

Approaching the halfway mark of their preseason slate, things are beginning to come into focus for first-year head coach Marco Sturm and the Bruins.

But for some, Saturday’s contest in Philadelphia will be the final chance to make an impression on the Boston coaching staff with AHL training camps set to open next week. And the Black and Gold’s roster for that showdown with the Flyers certainly reflects that possibility for more than a few Bruins.

Up front, the Bruins will arrive to Philadelphia with a forward group featuring Dalton Bancroft, Johnny Beecher, Patrick Brown, Riley Duran, Michael Eyssimont, Brett Harrison, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Georgii Merkulov, RIley Tufte, Jeff Viel, and Pavel Zacha. 

Of that grouping, it’s worth noting that Beecher is definitely a player who appears to be on the outside looking in right now, and is in need of a big-time performance to get himself back in the proverbial race. This feels especially true considering that Beecher has been skating with the group that looks like Providence’s roster at training camp, and that Boston has an extremely veteran-heavy fourth line look right now with Mark Kastelic, Sean Kuraly, and Michael Eyssimont (who had a tremendous game this past Tuesday) skating together in recent days. All three of those players have term and experience to their name, which seemingly gives them a natural leg up on Beecher.

Duran, another projected fourth-line fit for Boston, is also a name worth watching here for the Bruins. Unlike Beecher, Duran can be sent down to the AHL without having to go through waivers, so it’s not as if this is a make-or-break spot for him, but Sturm did like his game in Boston’s preseason-opening loss last weekend.

And not that he’s necessarily on the roster bubble, but it’ll be interesting to see if Khusnutdinov can build off what was a strong showing in Tuesday’s comeback. Khusnutdinov, who was acquired from the Wild at last year’s trade deadline, should have a home on this roster, but whether or not he’s in the lineup or a healthy scratch on Opening Night is still very much in the air right now.

Beyond the bubble guys, the big one here is the 2025 preseason debut of Zacha.

Entering his fourth season with the Bruins, Zacha is coming off what was statistically his worst season as a Bruin, with 14 goals and 47 points in 82 games for Boston. Zacha finished his season playing at less than 100 percent, and opted not to play for Czechia at the Worlds, making this his first game since April’s season finale. Capable of playing both center and wing, it feels like Sturm is still trying to figure where to put Zacha, and that decision could have a massive ripple effect on what the Bruins do with the rest of their lineup.

On the backend, meanwhile, the Bruins will travel with Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, and Mason Lohrei as their options for tonight. 

The Bruins wouldn’t make a veteran like Lindholm travel down to Philadelphia and not play him, meaning that this will be Lindholm’s first game since breaking his kneecap in a Nov. 12, 2024 game against the Blues.

In goal, the Bruins are bringing Luke Cavallin, Michael DiPietro, and Simon Zajicek down to Philly for this showdown.