Free agency opened on July 1, and the Bruins have already started reshaping the back end.
Boston brought back right-handed defenseman Connor Clifton and acquired Will Borgen from the New York Rangers, adding two veteran blue-liners whose game is built around shutting opponents down. Those moves fit a pattern for general manager Don Sweeney, who suddenly has more defensemen than lineup spots. The left side could get crowded too, especially with talk that Frederic Brunet may be ready for a promotion from the Providence Bruins.
That leaves Sweeney with a familiar problem and, potentially, a chance to turn excess into value.
Two names stand out as trade chips: Mason Lohrei and Henri Jokiharju.
Lohrei, a left-shot defenseman, has been mentioned in trade chatter before, but nothing has materialized. That hasn’t changed his appeal.
The 2020 second-round pick at No. 58 still carries upside, and a different team could be the one to unlock it. At 6-foot-5, he brings smooth skating, mobility, and poise, though he still needs to add strength to get the most out of his game.
Sports Forecaster describes him as “more of a complementary point producer than a full-fledged offensive stud.”
His production is already respectable. Lohrei has played 191 games for Boston and put up 72 points, including 16 goals and 56 assists.
He also has 14 playoff games under his belt, with four points - one goal and three assists. With restricted free agency ahead and a $3.2 million average annual value, he could bring back a meaningful return.
Jokiharju is another player whose market may be stronger than it looks on the surface. His 2025-26 season with Boston was interrupted by injury in the first half, and after returning in January, he settled into a bottom-pair role. In 41 games, he posted 15 points and finished at plus-two.
But his stock got a boost at the IIHF World Championship. Jokiharju helped Finland win gold, collecting eight points and finishing the tournament at plus-10. That kind of showing can change how teams view a player, and it gives Boston a chance to cash in while interest is there.
The Bruins have pieces they can move, and both Lohrei and Jokiharju could fit on teams looking for help. Jokiharju could work as a depth defenseman for a contender, while Lohrei offers a rebuilding club a younger player with upside.
Sweeney already landed a win with the JJ Peterka trade and earned more goodwill by promoting Michael DiPietro. If he wants to keep building toward the 2026-27 season, the next step is simple: find the right trade partners and turn this surplus into assets.
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Bruins Linked To Another Risky Center Swing Fans Will Debate
Bostons search for a top-six center is still very much alive after the club already sent away its first-round pick to land JJ Peterka, and that has kept the focus on younger, high-upside names who could grow with the rest of the roster. Shane Wright is one of the more intriguing possibilities in that conversation, mostly because he still carries the sheen of a former No. 4 overall pick even as his NHL path has been anything but linear.
The appeal is obvious for a Bruins team trying to add skill without losing sight of the future, but Wrights uneven development is exactly why this kind of swing would spark debate. Boston has been weighing whether another bet on upside is the right move alongside Peterka and the other younger pieces already in place, and any serious pursuit would likely require a hefty price to make Seattle listen. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Offseason Still Feels Incomplete For One Frustrating Reason
Don Sweeney has been busy trying to reshape the Bruins roster, starting with the splashy addition of JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth at the cost of two first-round picks. Boston also moved to shore up the blue line by bringing in Will Borgen from the New York Rangers, and it added Connor Clifton as another defense option, giving the front office a few more pieces to work with as the offseason rolls on.
Even with those moves, the work still does not feel finished. The Bruins continue to look short on defense and still need help at top-six center, which is why the overall summer has drawn a mixed review from around the league. Bleacher Reports Sara Civian called it a wanting offseason, and the bigger question now is whether Boston can find the kind of high-end blue-line help it still appears to need to stay in the mix. [Read more 🡒]