COMMENTARY
Don Sweeney had heard all of the noise at this point when it came to James Hagens and his slipping draft stock.
Anointed as the crown jewel of the 2025 NHL Draft class in the fall, the skilled Boston College forward opened his tenure at Chestnut Hill as a projected franchise center.
Nine months later, the talk of Hagens’ game has shifted — with the narrative centered more around his shortcomings than the damage that he’s routinely doled out against opposing defenses over the last few years.
But with the ceiling of Boston’s next contention window stunted for however long the Bruins trudge forward without a proven talent down the middle, Sweeney wasn’t going to overthink things at pick No.