BOSTON (AP) — Last season: 45-27-10, lost to Buffalo in opening round of the playoffs.
COACH: Marco Sturm (45-27-10, one season).
SEASON OPENER: Sept. 29 vs. New York Rangers.
DEPARTURES: G Joonas Korpisalo, F Viktor Arvidsson, D Andrew Peeke.
ADDITIONS: F JJ Peterka, D Will Borgen, D Connor Clifton, F Marat Khusnutdinov.
GOALIEES: Jeremy Swayman (31-18-4, 2.71 goals-against average, .907 save percentage), Michael DiPietro.
Sturm guided the Bruins back to the playoffs in his first season as coach, though it was a brief stay with a first-round loss to Buffalo. Year 2 for Sturm’s club is expected to continue to build upon the investments they are making in rebuilding their young core around top scorer David Pastrnak and netminder Jeremy Swayman in the aftermath of Patrice Bergeron’s retirement in 2023 and the trade of Brad Marchand at the deadline of the 2024-25 season. The Bruins’ commitment was bolstered this offseason when they acquired 24-year-old winger JJ Peterka from Utah for two first-round picks. He will be expected to bring immediate energy to the Bruins lines at forward. Boston also locked up 22-year-old center Fraser Minten with a seven-year, $50.4 million extension.
Another sign this is truly a new era for Boston is a promise to name a new captain after not having one last season. Pastrnak and defenseman Charlie McAvoy were the top candidates to become only the team’s fourth captain since the 2006-07 season. Marchand last held it in 2024-25. The team went without someone wearing the patch in Sturm's first season. He and general manager Don Sweeney said that won't happen again. And it seems like Pastrnak’s moment to truly take the reins of the franchise.
The good: Pastrnak has proven he's s more than capable No. 1 winger, coming off his fourth straight 100-point season. It's earned him respect in the locker room and is someone the team has followed since the trade of Marchand. Swayman is coming off his second straight season playing 50-plus games and his save percentage and goals-against averages were among the best in the NHL.
The not-so-good: The depth behind Pastrnak at forward — Morgan Geekie, Peterka and Pavel Zacha — doesn't scream that of a surefire playoff team. The question is whether that trio can consistently contribute enough scoring to get the Bruins through any rough patches.
It starts with that young core. Minten played in all 82 games for the Bruins last season, posting career highs with 17 goals and 18 assists, and is expected to get increased ice time, as is rookie James Hagens. Defenseman Jonathan Aspirot (three goals, 10 assists in 61 games) also will be looking to take a step up from last season.
See AP’s full NHL coverage here
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman smiles after a shutout win against the New Jersey Devils following an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
FILE - Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) skates with the puck during Game 3 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, April 23, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
FILE - Boston Bruins' David Pastrnak looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Feb. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and the Philippines have reached substantial agreement on a new free trade deal, the latest bilateral agreement that Brussels is pursuing as it seeks to diversify its economy amid tensions with traditional trading partners including China, Russia and the United States.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted Tuesday, ″we just agreed on a free trade deal,″ but EU officials later clarified that it was a preliminary agreement, and that a full deal would take further negotiations.
The EU's top trade negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, said he and Philippine Trade Secretary María Cristina Aldeguer-Roque have been negotiating a deal aimed at boosting the nearly 30 billion euros (around $35 billion) of annual trade between the 27-nation EU and the Southeast Asian nation of 115 million people.
Šefčovič said it would create “a modern, forward-looking partnership between the EU and the Philippines, one that will open new opportunities for our exporters and investors, strengthen our supply chains and deepen bilateral economic ties for years to come.”
He said he expects it to be finalized within a year or two. Parliaments on both sides will also need to ratify it.
EU-Philippine trade is dominated by electronics, with the EU exporting aircraft, pork and pharmaceuticals while importing semiconductors, integrated circuits and industrial machinery made in the Philippines.
The EU has sought growth and stability through new trade links from Australia to Argentina as the bloc itself is beset by a geopolitical maelstrom, including conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine that have throttled traditional sources of energy.
The Philippines has already reached deals with two other ASEAN members, Vietnam and Singapore. The European Commission is also negotiating separate deals with Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, while a broader free trade agreement between the EU and ASEAN remains a long-term goal.
Moscow, Beijing and Washington all pose their own kind of challenges to the EU: hybrid attacks that officials across the EU blame on Russia; China's gargantuan trade imbalance and a near-monopoly over critical mineral supplies; and a Trump administration critical of European policies on defense, migration, and technology regulation.
The EU deal with the Philippines roughly tracks with the “ middle powers ” strategy laid out at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Last week, he was the guest of honor in the European Parliament in Strasbourg at the annual State of the European Union speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
She said then that the EU would forge a new kind of “ associate membership ” for Canada.
“In this new world, we must urgently reimagine our partnerships,” von der Leyen said during her speech.
And at the same time, nations around the world have sought out the EU to weather “sudden changes very often on the fundamental principles of how trade is being done,” said Šefčovič, the trade negotiator.
“My phone was ringing all the time,” he said. “When the world goes in such turbulence and turmoil, you work closely with your friends and close partners."
FILE - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech at the annual State of the European Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien, File)
