Jonathan Aspirot became one of the best stories in the NHL last season, and the Bruins had a front-row seat to it.
Boston’s 2025-26 season ended in a quick playoff exit against the Buffalo Sabres, but the bigger picture was still a strong one. After coming into the year with modest expectations because of how badly 2024-25 went, the Bruins answered with a 45-27-10 record and 100 points.
A big part of that turnaround came from an unexpected source on the blue line. Last summer, Boston brought in Aspirot on a one-year, two-way deal with the idea that he would spend most of his time with the Providence Bruins in the AHL.
That made sense at the time. He was 27 and had played his entire career in the AHL up to that point.
Instead, Aspirot forced his way into the picture early. He got a call-up from Boston and made the most of it, becoming a key piece of the Bruins’ defense. He also clicked beautifully with Charlie McAvoy, forming a top-pairing duo that gave Boston real stability.
That performance earned him a two-year contract extension worth $1.775 million, with an $887,500 AAV, in January. At this point, that deal looks like a bargain.
It is not often that a 27-year-old defenseman makes the leap from the AHL and ends up logging top-pairing minutes in the NHL. Aspirot did exactly that, and he did it well. For Boston, it was one of the feel-good stories of the season, and the next step will be seeing what he can do in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Bruins Still Have One Unsettled Problem Hanging Over This Roster
The NHL offseason has been relatively quiet, but the calendar is about to pick up as arbitration cases begin and more player movement is expected around the league. For the Bruins, the biggest lingering issue is on the back end, where they have more NHL-caliber defensemen than they can realistically dress on a nightly basis, a surplus that has kept the conversation about roster balance from going away.
Boston has time to sort through it, at least for now, because Charlie McAvoys six-game suspension gives the club a little breathing room before any decision becomes urgent. Even so, the logjam on defense still feels like the one unsettled problem hanging over the roster, and with other teams continuing to hunt for additions, the Bruins may eventually have to answer it with a move of their own. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Bring Back Connor Clifton And Fans Will Have Strong Opinions
Connor Clifton is back in Boston on a two-year, $4.5 million deal, giving the Bruins a familiar face for the bottom of the blue line and a player they know well from his first run with the club. The fit is pretty clear on paper: Clifton brings a physical edge, stays reliable in his own end and gives the Bruins another defenseman who can handle the kind of hard minutes that tend to matter once the games get heavier.
Don Sweeney made it clear the organization still values Cliftons competitive streak and the energy he can bring to a room, which helps explain why Boston circled back. There is still plenty of debate to come about what this reunion means for the defense mix and how much runway Clifton will get, especially after a stretch away from Boston that did not go as smoothly as he or his old team would have liked. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins May Finally Have A Veteran Answer To Their Quiet Offseason
Bostons quiet offseason has left plenty of room for speculation about how the club will round out its forward group, and veteran depth remains one of the more obvious needs as training camp approaches. One name making the rounds is James van Riemsdyk, whose recent season with the Detroit Red Wings showed he can still bring usable offense and a steady presence to the bottom six.
For a Bruins team that could use more experience in its middle and lower lines, van Riemsdyk also fits the kind of low-risk addition that can help a second power-play unit and give younger players a seasoned pro to lean on. No move is in place yet, and no offer has been reported, but the possibility alone suggests Boston may not be done searching for a practical answer to an otherwise understated summer. [Read more 🡒]