The Boston Bruins paid a steep price to bring JJ Peterk to Boston this summer. And less than a week before the regular season, the 24-year-old may be getting a chance to prove why.
Peterka opened Wednesday’s practice alongside David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm, according to Boston.com’s Conor Ryan, extending an experiment that began during the third period of Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Bruins’ published training-camp schedule had both practice groups back at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday.
It’s a compelling development after Peterka began training camp on a line with Pavel Zacha and Case Mittlestadt. Morgan Geekie had occupied the other wing next to Pastrnak and Lindholm during the opening days of camp.
Peterka Gets Extended Look Next to Pastrnak
Sturm first made the switch Tuesday after Boston’s original top line struggled to generate much at 5-on-5.
Per Boston.com’s postgame breakdown, the Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak trio was outshot 7-2 and outscored 1-0 during 8:16 together at 5-on-5 against Philadelphia.
Peterka, meanwhile, spent the first two periods with Zacha and Mittelstadt before Sturm flipped Peterka and Geekie for the final frame.
The change briskly caught Pastrnak’s attention.
“I think it was a lot of fun,” Pastrnak said, via the Bruins’ official website. “I think you could feel the energy came up on our line.”
Pastrnak also praised Peterka’s intelligence, skating and forechecking. Peterka put forth a similarly upbeat assessment following his Bruins preseason debut, describing the experience of playing with Pastrnak as “super fun.”
Placing Peterka with Pastrnak makes sense on paper.
Pastrnak is the Bruins’ offensive key playmaker skipping off of a 100-point season, while Peterka adds the type of speed and puck-carrying ability Boston targeted this offseason.
Sturm left the door open for more, saying after the victory that both remixed lines generated opportunities and there “may be something there for the future.”
Bruins Invested Heavily in Peterka’s Offensive Upside
The possibility of Peterka landing on the first line is worth a look because of what Boston surrendered to acquire him.
The Bruins sent the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional 2028 first-round pick to the Utah Mammoth in June. Per the team’s official trade announcement, Boston can instead send its unprotected 2029 first-rounder if the Florida Panthers’ 2028 selection falls inside the top 10.
Peterka landed after recording 25 goals and 22 assists in 82 games with Utah last season. His production had been higher one year earlier with the Buffalo Sabres, when he set career highs with 27 goals, 41 assists and 68 points.
Boston is betting it can unlock more of that version. And certainly, Tuesday’s matchup made that instinct look right.
Assuming the change goes into the regular season, the good-or-bad ripple effect would come from modifying the rest of the top six.
Geekie could shift down the lineup while retaining a prominent role on the power play, and a second unit featuring Geekie, Zacha and Mittelstadt would be a move to try.
Regardless, there’s some time for the Bruins to keep tinkering before the games count.
Peterka’s third-period cameo Tuesday has, at least, turned into a longer audition.
Bruins’ $38.5 Million Addition Appears in Role Alongside David Pastrnak