By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter / X @Jainchill_Ryan
The Boston Bruins have a logjam for the defensive core heading into the 2026 NHL offseason. During this past season, the team used 11 defenseman, all of whom played at least one game. Come playoff time, the team carried eight, all of which saw action in the Bruins’ first-round series loss to the Buffalo Sabres. As the playoff roll on and the offseason approaches, the General Manager Don Sweeney has some options for shaping the defense next season.
For the majority of the season, the Bruins rolled with a seven-man unit, rotating players in and out of the lineup. Outside of the three stalwarts – Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov – there were questions regarding who would be in the lineup nightly for first-year Head Coach Marco Sturm.
Outside of those three, guys were in and out nightly. Mason Lohrei was supposed to take another step forward after what was, admittedly, a tough 2024-25 season, but one that saw him play significant minutes down the stretch. Andrew Peeke and Henri Jokiharju were supposed to round out the unit, but even they struggled and, at times, were healthy scratches.
As for depth, Jordan Harris, who was the team’s seventh defenseman on opening night, had a strong five-game stretch to start the season before fracturing his ankle in mid-October and only returning in March for three games and one playoff game. In the AHL, Michael Callahan played 17 games in 2024-25 and looked like he could be a depth call-up if needed. He only played five games for Boston this past season.
The lone surprise on the backend was the emergence of rookie Jonathan Aspirot. With zero NHL games under his belt, the 26-year-old broke out as a sturdy defenseman, finishing the year with 3-10-13 in 61 games and a plus-30. By season’s end, he was on the top pair with McAvoy and earned a two-year extension.
To round out the defenseman who appeared in a game for the Bruins this past season, Victor Soderstrom, who had not played in an NHL game since 2023-24 with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, played eight games and Vladislav Kolyachonok, a waiver claim in December from the Dallas Stars when the unit was ravaged by injuries. He appeared in two games, was subsequently waived and returned to Dallas.
Going into this offseason, many questions remain, especially given the struggles on the backend in the postseason. The trio of McAvoy, Lindholm and Zadorov is not going anywhere, even if they struggled in the postseason. But in defense of that point, all three were dealing with significant injuries in that series with Buffalo and McAvoy, in particular, went through a tumultuous campaign.
Starting with Lohrei, he set career highs in goals (7) and was a plus-17, showing progress. But much of that progress came after a shift to the right side alongside Lindholm, a pairing that, while it worked for long stretches, does not appear to be for the long haul. In the postseason, Lohrei was a healthy scratch in the final four games of the first round, losing his spot to Harris and then Jokiharju.
Lohrei signed a contract extension last offseason that keeps him in Boston for next season. However, there were rumors spreading in late January that the 25-year-old was available for trade, as he was linked in a package for former Calgary Flames defenseman and impending unrestricted free agent Rasmus Andersson, who would have fit right in on the second pair right-shot position. This begs the question: Is Lohrei on the roster this season? Does Sweeney revisit a Lohrei move? Could he be a part of a package for a top-six forward?
Given Aspirot’s performance and contract extension, the front office clearly views him in high regard. It may be unlikely that he plays an entire season on the top-pair with McAvoy, but as a third pair or a depth defenseman, he is well-suited. Aspirot certainly has the ability to be a line-up mainstay, but Sweeney and his staff could (and should) feel like they can upgrade, at least for a top-pair defenseman.
Now to the third pair right-shot situation. Peeke was a staple there all season, appearing in 77 games and playing in all six postseason games. Jokiharju was mainly used as that seventh defenseman, appearing in 41 games. Last offseason, the Bruins invested in Jokiharju with a three-year contract, indicating they believe he has a role on this team.
As for Peeke, he is an impending UFA. If the Bruins had been out of postseason contention come the 2026 Trade Deadline, he would likely have been on the way out, but instead, he finished out his second full season in Boston. Right-shot defenseman have become more and more valuable in the modern age and teams are willing to get desperate for them (i.e., Edmonton’s deal of a second rounder to Chicago for Connor Murphy). Despite his struggles, Peeke could get a solid deal on the open market and with the Jokiharju and Aspirot extensions, it seems like Peeke may be gone come July 1st.
Harris and Callahan are due for contracts come July 1st and are in two different spots. The former has potential and it is uncertain how he would have performed if he had not missed parts of five months. Harris is likely a candidate for an extension as the seventh defenseman, to be used in a pinch. The latter has been strong in the AHL, but if he gets an NHL deal with another team, it would not be hard-pressed for Sweeney to let the 26-year-old Callahan walk.
On the prospect front, the Bruins’ “future” is defined by their forward core, but one defenseman has promise and could make some noise out of training camp: Frederic Brunet. Brunet had a career season in the AHL, posting 12-24-36 in 65 games as a 22-year-old. He appeared in one NHL game in 2024-25, the final game of the disappointing Bruins’ campaign. Brunet’s puck-moving ability is unquestioned and the two-year extension he received shows confidence in the young defenseman. If Lohrei or Harris were to be moved or depart, there is a good chance that a strong training camp would mean Brunet makes the opening-day roster.
The Bruins’ defense core is in a logjam. Nine capable options for six spots and after the defensive breakdowns against Buffalo, more may be on the way out. There are holes to fill in the offseason (particularly the second pair right-shot spot) and with players on the market and trade pieces available, it’s likely Sweeeny takes a swing on one. But as for the internal state, questions still linger about some players’ long-term futures in Boston and the unit’s direction heading into training camp.
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