The Boston Bruins are likely not done revamping their defense this summer. General manager Don Sweeney acquired blueliners Will Borgen and Connor Clifton on July 1. Borgen was brought in via trade with the New York Rangers. Clifton, on the other hand, signed on as a free agent. The reunion with the former Bruin will cost Boston $4.5 million over two years.
The moves now give the Bruins seven NHL defensemen on the roster. Because of this, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa believes that Mason Lohrei and/or Henri Jokiharju will likely be dealt by Sweeney. As the beat writer points out, both of these players could become healthy scratches when the 2026-27 season starts. Lohrei and Jokiharju were both left out of the lineup at times during Boston’s recent playoff run.
Lohrei is certainly no stranger to being involved in trade rumors. The 6’5″ blueliner has been linked with a potential move out of town since November. Boston’s heavy pursuit of Rasmus Andersson in January fueled these speculations even further. The Rangers were even recently named as a potential landing spot for the left-handed defenseman.
While the Boston Bruins prefer to offload Lohrei, he does have some value in the trade market. The Athletic’s Chris Johnston recently placed the young defenseman 26th on his NHL trade target list. As the insider points out, Lohrei is very mobile for his size and can provide offense here and there. Jokiharju, on the other hand, failed to make Johnston’s list.
Boston Bruins Upcoming Trades Hinge on Mason Lohrei, Henri Jokiharju Deals
GettyMason Lohrei may have played his final game with the Boston Bruins.
According to Puckpedia.com, the Boston Bruins have just over $5 million in projected cap space. The Eastern Conference team also has a full NHL roster under contract. If Sweeney and the Bruins want to continue strengthening their team, they can use funds created by offloading Lohrei and/or Jokiharju to do so.
Lohrei is set to enter his final year under contract with a $3.2 million AAV salary. Jokiharju, however, has two more years remaining on his $3 million AAV deal. Shedding at least one of these contracts would give Boston enough money to land a substantial defensive target. As Shinzawa points out, the Bruins adding Borgen and Clifton does not exactly “move the needle significantly” in defense.
After a flurry of free agent moves around the league on July 2, there are not a ton of truly impactful targets on the blue line. Nevertheless, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox has linked Boston with unrestricted free agent John Klingberg. The veteran self-admittedly struggled during his lone season with the San Jose Sharks. He previously played well with the Dallas Stars earlier in his career, though.
Boston GM Not Afraid to Make a Major Trade
The Boston Bruins, however, are more likely to look at the trade market to solve their problems. As Shinzawa recently reported, Sweeney is not afraid to be aggressive when it comes to trades. Any potential upcoming deal with any real significance likely hinges on the futures of Lohrei and Jokiharju.
The recent deal to land J.J. Peterka, and assuming Pavel Zacha stays in Boston, likely means that the Bruins will continue focusing on defense. At the moment, Boston has 14 forwards under contract heading towards the 2026-27 campaign.
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