{"id":541375,"date":"2026-03-24T01:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T01:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/541375\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T01:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T01:06:11","slug":"bruins-coach-talks-lineup-decisions-as-hagens-watch-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/541375\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruins coach talks lineup decisions as Hagens watch continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Bruins\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t“It\u2019s almost like it\u2019s part of the game now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"James
\n\tJames Hagens closed out his sophomore season at BC on Friday. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Conor Ryan<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarch 23, 2026 | 5:08 PM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

2 minutes to read<\/p>\n

The waiting game continues for Bruins blue-chip prospect James Hagens and his arrival to the pro ranks. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Hagens\u2019 sophomore season at Boston College ended on Friday during the Hockey East semifinals<\/a>, opening the door for the seventh pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to sign a pro deal with the Bruins.<\/p>\n

So far, the 19-year-old forward has yet to put pen to paper on a contract with the Bruins.<\/p>\n

\u200bWhile Hagens could conceivably return to the Eagles for a junior campaign at Chestnut Hill, the playmaking forward has little left to prove at the collegiate game.<\/p>\n

He took another step forward in 2025-26, recording 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) over 34 games while helping BC win its first Beanpot title since 2016.<\/p>\n

Hagens \u2014 a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award \u2014 is likely best served making the jump to the pro game this spring.<\/p>\n

But where exactly he starts his career might be causing the delay in his potential arrival to the Bruins\u2019 organization.<\/p>\n

Hagens could just sign his entry-level deal with Boston and report directly to the Bruins, potentially giving Boston\u2019s forward corps a spark with 12 games left in the regular-season slate.<\/p>\n

Keeping him up in the NHL ranks for the rest of the regular season (and into the postseason) opens the door for Boston burning the first year of his entry-level deal right out of the gate.<\/p>\n

That might get Hagens a year closer to a pay raise when his ELC expires, but it might be the cost of doing business if the talented skater hits the ice running at the NHL level this spring. \u200b<\/p>\n

Of course, the Bruins might prefer putting Hagens on a similar path as the one that Charlie McAvoy went on when he made the jump from Boston University to the pro ranks in 2017.\u200b<\/p>\n

McAvoy initially signed an amateur tryout (ATO) contract with the Providence Bruins after closing out his sophomore season with the Terriers in March 2017, with the gifted blueliner getting some experience against AHL competition \u00a0after two years in Hockey East.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until injuries decimated Boston\u2019s D corps going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs that the Bruins signed McAvoy to his ELC and elevated him up to the NHL for a first-round bout with the Senators. The rest is history.<\/p>\n

The Bruins might want to see how Hagens fares in Providence first before throwing him into a high-stakes playoff race over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

Of course, Hagens and his representatives may not be too keen on a pitstop in Providence \u2014 potentially leading to a stalemate that could drag out these contract talks.<\/p>\n

As the Bruins and Hagens continue to chart the best path moving forward, Bruins head coach \u00a0Marco Sturm acknowledged on Monday that he doesn\u2019t have any qualms about putting younger players in the lineup \u2014 so long as they\u2019re up to the task.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a challenge for everyone. Depends a little bit too what kind of age you\u2019re in. So the good thing is with me, over the past \u2014 especially in [the Kings\u2019 AHL affiliate] Ontario \u2014 I always had college kids coming in,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cThey\u2019re college kids and they never played against men.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s always a challenge. But, I didn\u2019t see a problem because I feel like in the league in general, it\u2019s part of the game now. \u2026 There\u2019s so many guys now. It\u2019s almost like it\u2019s part of the game now, having \u2014 this time of the year \u2014 college kids coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.<\/p>\n

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