Bruins coach noncommittal on when James Hagens will make debut

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Bruins coach noncommittal on when James Hagens will make debut

Matt Vautour · MassLive

Thu, Apr 9, 2026 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — Bruins coach Marco Sturm wouldn’t speculate on how much James Hagens will play or with which linemates. In fact, he wasn’t even willing to commit to when Hagens will make his NHL debut.

Sturm said he hasn’t decided whether Hagens will play in Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden.

Other than establishing that Hagens will play on the wing to start his career, everything else is either to be decided or to be announced.

Sturm said he hoped this would be a day Hagens could soak in that he’d reached his NHL goal. The logistics and specifics of what’s to come will get fully underway on Friday.

“This is his day today. Tomorrow we’ll talk about lines and things like that,” Sturm said.

Hagens, who joined the team for an optional skate on Thursday, didn’t venture a guess or an opinion on when he’ll play. He was just glad to be in an NHL dressing room and was eager to make the most of it.

“This is a dream come true for me, something I grew up my whole life dreaming of. To be able to be here, part of an NHL organization, it’s a really special moment,” he said. “These are guys who are role models for you. People that you look up to. Now you’re sitting in a stall next to all of them. It’s pretty surreal.”

The Bruins still haven’t clinched a playoff spot and they’re coming off a winless four-game road trip. With three games left, Hagens has the potential to give the team a lift, especially offensively, but at the same time could be a risk defensively as he plays NHL competition for the first time.

The Lightning are tied for second in the NHL in goals scored.

Sturm said he’ll try to walk the difficult balance beam of trying to find an overlap in what’s best for the Boston Bruins now and what’s best for Hagens’ short and long term future.

“It’s where we’re at right now. If I feel like this kid can help us, he’ll play,” Sturm said.

The Bruins had an optional practice on Thursday with just a handful of players. They’ll have a full practice on Friday. That leaves Sturm with just a day to make any in-person judgement.

“I have to see it with my eyes,” Sturm said. “Tomorrow will be my first time to see him actually on the ice. I can tell, maybe not in one practice, but pretty soon.”

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