![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NRBFMKJAB5GDLH5VR4QKDSUV6A.jpg\")
James Hagens, who has played five total games for the Bruins, scored six goals in two days in Buffalo. Kevin Paul Dupont<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I was just excited to be out there playing hockey,\u201d said Hagens, asked about Sturm\u2019s assessment of his play from last season. \u201cBeing able to get there for the playoffs was a dream come true for me \u2014 one of the coolest moments in my entire hockey career. So it was more taking it all in, going out there, not overcomplicating anything \u2014 try to trust yourself and trust your teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those words are smart, prudent, and also right from the standard rookie playbook. Could he be expected to bellow, \u201cTell Sturmy to get me that David Pastrnak on my right wing, STAT! And gimme Geeks on the left.\u201d <\/p>\n
If only, right?<\/p>\n
For this hour, and many more to come, Hagens will follow whatever lead the front office and the guy behind the bench dictate. It was actually out of character for Sweeney to so much as hint of using Hagens, a center since his middle-school days, at his natural position. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve learned to receive these hints from the GM like they\u2019re manhole covers tossed from the top of the Hancock tower. We\u2019ll see shortly if the hint leaves a dent in the road.<\/p>\n
Worth noting, of course, is that the franchise has reason to be predisposed to starting talented young centers on the wing. It\u2019s where Patrice Bergeron hung out at the start of his days in Black and Gold and, come November, a plaque with his likeness on it will be hung in the Hockey Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
The inscription is expected to reference that he grew to be the top two-way center of his era, and that, yeah, he scored some goals \u2014 427, to be exact.<\/p>\n
What defined Bergeron, though, was how he mastered the art, similar to how Roger Federer mastered the tennis court. Putting points up on the board is essential, but only part of a much bigger picture. We\u2019ll see this week how that picture begins to fill in for Hagens.<\/p>\n