Boston Bruins
With the Bruins scoring just three goals in its last three games, James Hagens could give Boston a jolt with the playoffs just weeks away.
James Hagens could be a late-season spark for the Bruins. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
COMMENTARY
The good news? The Boston Bruins are inching closer and closer to a playoff berth.
After banking a point in a largely disheartening overtime loss to the Flyers, Boston’s playoff hopes currently sit at 97.3 percent with just four games left in the regular season (per MoneyPuck).
The bad news? Those favorable odds have masked an ugly stretch where Marco Sturm’s club has dropped three games in a row — sullying the positive momentum that Boston secured by beating four legitimate opponents over the previous week.
As ugly as Sunday’s overtime period was against the Flyers — due in large part to some careless play from two leaders in David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy — Boston’s issues run deeper than that.
A prevailing theme in Boston’s recent slide has been rooted in a stagnant offensive performance, with some painful regression across several spots on the depth chart giving Sturm’s team little margin for error.
In Boston’s last three games, they have only scored three goals. Over those nine periods in regulation, the Bruins landed 10 or more shots on goal just three times.
Even with Pavel Zacha securing Boston’s lone goal on Sunday via a power-play goal, Boston’s man advantage has been mired in a slump since the return from the Olympic break.
Over the last 20 games, the Bruins’ man advantage is only cashing in on 15.6 percent of its opportunities — ranking 28th in the NHL over that stretch.
With the playoffs right around the corner, Boston is in desperate need of a jolt up front.
Could James Hagens be that sought-after spark?
The Bruins had a front-row seat to what a blue-chip prospect can do for an ascending team on Sunday evening.
Porter Martone — taken one pick before the Bruins drafted Hagens seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Draft — made his presence felt for the Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
In his fourth game in the NHL ranks, the 19-year-old Martone had the primary helper on the Flyers’ lone goal in regulation before scoring his first pro tally in overtime to help Philly bank two critical points in their late-season playoff push.
Martone — who thrived in his lone season at Michigan State this winter (50 points in 35 games) — made the jump right to the NHL after the Spartans’ season came to a close, with the Flyers adding the pugnacious power forward to their roster in hopes of a late-season push.
The Bruins have opted for a more conservative approach with Hagens, who posted 47 points in 34 games with Boston College as a sophomore.
The 19-year-old forward is currently on an AHL amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the Providence Bruins, giving him some experience and an extended runway to acclimate to the pro game.
Boston still has the option to sign Hagens to his entry-level contract — adding him to the NHL roster for the stretch run and a (likely) playoff appearance at TD Garden.
Hagens hasn’t exactly stuffed the stat sheet in the AHL with four points (one goal, three assists) over six games.
But, the former BC star’s passing ability, passing capabilities, and power-play skills have all popped for the P-Bruins over his limited stint against AHL competition. All skills that would seemingly bolster Boston’s lagging offense as of late.
Awesome sequence by James Hagens here.
Hagens fights through coverage, enters the zone and hits Georgii Merkulov for a goal: pic.twitter.com/sR7ljSDNQv
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) March 29, 2026
Signing Hagens to his ELC would prevent him from rejoining Providence for a potentially fruitful Calder Cup playoff run. Still, there’s a lot to like about what the skilled forward could offer the Bruins as an on-ice adrenaline shot over the next few weeks.
Slotting Hagens on a third line with a laboring Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm might be the next contingency plan Boston needs to embrace in order to get several segments of the lineup firing again.
Simply put, a reworked top line of Geekie, Lindholm, and Pastrnak has not worked this season.
In their 294 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time together, the Bruins have been outscored, 14-12 (per Natural Stat Trick). Not what you want to see out of your supposed top line.
By putting a gifted playmaker like Hagens on a line with Geekie and Lindholm, it would allow Sturm to keep Pastrnak stapled to the “Kid Line” with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov — a forward trio that has outscored the competition, 15-6, in their 188 minutes of 5-on-5 reps.
At this point, Sturm needs to exhaust all of his options to try to get Geekie rolling again. Following Sunday’s loss, the Bruins’ 34-goal scorer has not lit the lamp in 17 straight games — and has done so just two times in his last 22 games.
It should come as little surprise that Boston’s power play has also been sapped of its potency when Geekie’s blistering one-timer has been neutralized.
It’s to be expected for there to be some growing pains for Hagens at hockey’s highest level. But, the skating talent and hockey IQ in his toolkit are already pretty evident, while a third-line spot gives him an ideal landing spot to earn his stripes without being exposed to heavy minutes.
Another example of high-end agility and stick handling from James Hagens, No. 12 in white, as he goes 1-on-3 for a zone entry in his debut. Hagens had the first defender flat-footed, second defender burned and third reaching with his stick while trailing. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/0iPMwHmrjm
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) March 26, 2026
A poised puck-carrier and passer ike Hagens might be the best option remaining for Boston to help get Geekie out of his rut — while his knack for generating clean entries would also give the Bruins a boost on their lagging power play.
There’s no guarantee that Hagens will be able to replace Martone’s immediate success in the NHL ranks.
And sure, the Bruins might be kicking themselves if Hagens is ruled out of an extended Calder Cup run this spring.
But, cutting one’s teeth over four to seven games of NHL playoff hockey might serve Hagens better in the long run, as opposed to 15-plus games against AHL competition.
And, if Hagens does give Boston a shot in the arm? This club could be playing a bit more than just one round of postseason hockey.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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