One of the biggest questions hanging over Bruins training camp is the logjam on the back end, and Mason Lohrei is right in the middle of it.
Boston has 10 NHL-caliber defensemen fighting for six regular lineup spots and likely eight places on the roster, which turns every practice rep into something meaningful. Lohrei, coming off a season that included seven goals, 26 points and a plus-17 mark in 73 games, has put himself in the mix. On paper, he has earned a real shot to keep moving forward in Boston.
“I’ve always enjoyed pressure and competition. I just like those moments where you have to rise to the occasion,” said Lohrei to bostonbruins.com.
“Ever since I was little, I just think that’s something that I’ve always savored, and I want that. So I am excited.
It is going to be high compete. We have 10 NHL-caliber defensemen that are all going for six spots.
It’s going to be fun.”
The problem for Lohrei is that the season did not finish cleanly. After long stretches of steady, useful play, the 25-year-old stumbled late, then sat as a healthy scratch for the final three playoff games against the Sabres after going minus-4 with no points in the first three games of the series. His name also surfaced in trade chatter during the season, when he was reportedly part of a proposed package with Matt Poitras and a first-round pick heading to Calgary for Rasmus Andersson before Andersson ultimately chose the Vegas Golden Knights.
What makes Lohrei such an interesting case is the contrast in his game. The offensive skill has shown up, and the talent has never really been in doubt. The issue has been sustaining that level from start to finish, something that has yet to fully come together over his NHL career.
That is what makes this camp so important. Lohrei is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $3.2 million cap hit, and he knows there is still plenty to prove if he wants to lock down a place in Boston’s plans.
“For the season, I think it’s about playing all 84…I want to contribute in all areas. Offensively, defensively, all situations, 5-on-5, 4-on-4, overtime, power play, penalty kill.
I want to be somebody that can play in every single situation. And I think I do have the tools to do it.
I think it’s just putting everything together, which it’s obviously been a process,” said Lohrei. “Just excited to go out and prove that I deserve one of those spots.”
The competition around him is brutal. The Bruins want to see Frederic Brunet earn a roster spot, while new additions Connor Clifton and Will Borgen are expected to claim NHL jobs. Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov are locked in, and Jonathan Aspirot is coming off a surprising season that saw him spend most of the year in a top-pairing role with McAvoy.
Jordan Harris and Henri Jokiharju are in the mix too, and Jokiharju finds himself in a similar place to Lohrei, with the fit not necessarily ideal for Boston’s system or the direction the team is taking under Marco Sturm.
Boston will get a little breathing room when McAvoy serves a six-game suspension to open the regular season, but the math still points to hard decisions on the blue line. There simply isn’t enough room for everyone under contract.
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