The Bruins have started trimming the training camp roster, and Monday’s first round of cuts sent eight players to Providence.
Wyatt Bongiovanni, Luke Cavallin, Navrin Mutter, Max Lundgren, Kalle Vaisanen, Loke Johansson, Max Wanner, and Tobie Paquette-Bisson were all assigned to the Providence Bruins for camp, the team announced Monday afternoon.
That group joins 13 players already at Providence camp, with Cavallin and Lundgren the two goalies in that group. Cavallin spent last season in the Bruins organization, dividing his time between Providence and Maine. Lundgren played every minute for the Merrimack Warriors last season before signing with Boston shortly after being named MVP of the Hockey East tournament.
All eight players got into the first three days of Bruins camp, and four of them were in rookie camp before that. None appeared in Sunday’s first preseason game.
Mutter was the only one of the eight who had to clear waivers. Boston placed him on waivers Sunday afternoon, and he went unclaimed.
He scored the lone goal in Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage after 29 minutes of scoreless hockey, though that’s not really his calling card. Last season in the AHL, he put up two points (1-1-2) and 95 penalty minutes in 39 games.
The Bruins got Mutter from Nashville in March and then signed him to a one-year, two-way extension in June.
Johansson is heading into his second North American pro season after coming up from Moncton in the QMJHL. The 20-year-old defenseman spent most of last season with Maine, where he posted four points (2-2-4), and also got into 13 games with Providence.
Vaisanen came back to Boston as part of the Joonas Korpisalo trade. The 6-foot-5 forward finished with four points (3-1-4) in 51 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack and did not take a single penalty minute. He skated as the extra forward during Group B’s three practices.
Bongiovanni, Paquette-Bisson, and Wanner are all signed through the 2026-27 season with Providence. Wanner was the only one of that trio to play in Providence last season, producing three points (1-2-3) and a plus-eight rating in 29 games. Bongiovanni had 30 points (15-15-30) in 65 games between Belleville and Hershey, while Paquette-Bisson recorded 11 points (3-8-11) in 48 games with Laval.
Boston now has 41 players left in camp: 24 forwards, 13 defensemen, and four goaltenders. The Bruins will have a morning skate in Brighton on Tuesday before facing the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:00 PM.
In Other News...
Dorchesters Kevin Hayes Is Calling Time On A Memorable Hockey Career
Kevin Hayes is stepping away from the game after a long run that took him from Dorchester to Boston College and then across the NHL. The 34-year-old forward announced his retirement from professional hockey after a brief five-game stint with AK Bars Kazan in the KHL, closing a career that included stops with multiple NHL teams and a place on the areas long list of accomplished hockey players.
Across 805 NHL games, Hayes scored 185 goals and finished with 446 points, production that reflected both his skill and his staying power in a demanding league. His retirement statement pointed to physical limitations that made it impossible to keep performing at his best, a difficult but familiar end to a career that had already given him a memorable college chapter and a substantial pro rsum. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Captain Mystery May Have Just Been Spoiled In A Bizarre Way
The Bruins are still playing coy about who will wear the captains letter next season, but the direction has been clear enough to keep the conversation going around camp. General manager Don Sweeney and coach Marco Sturm have both confirmed there will be a captain for 2026-27, even if they have not put a name to the job just yet, leaving the teams leadership picture hanging as preseason approaches.
A strange little detour on social media may have added to the intrigue. Tottenham Hotspur posted a clip showing Xavi Simons exchanging jerseys with David Pastrnak, a moment that naturally set off speculation that Pastrnak is the one set to be handed the role. The Bruins are expected to reveal the captaincy before their preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers, so the wait should not last much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins May Be Near A Tough Call On Matthew Poitras
Matthew Poitras has spent enough time around the Bruins to make his name feel like part of the conversation, but the next stretch of preseason could force a difficult reckoning. Around the league, clubs are already sorting through players who may need to pass through waivers, and Poitras has surfaced in that group as Boston weighs how much room there really is for him after his recent slide between the NHL and AHL.
For the Bruins, the issue is less about talent than fit, and that makes it a tricky call. Poitras still profiles as the kind of young player another team could circle if he becomes available, which is why this situation matters beyond camp inventory. Boston will have to decide whether to keep trying to carve out a place for him or accept that the roster may no longer have a clean path forward. [Read more 🡒]