Bruins sign pending RFA defenseman to two-year extension
Mason Lohrei and Boston agreed to a two-year extension with an annual $3.2 million salary cap hit, the team announced. The 24-year-old was set to become an RFA on July 1.
Advertisement
The young defenseman played 77 games for the Bruins in the 2024-25 season and tallied five goals with 28 assists.
Lohrei showed good offensive instincts throughout the year, but struggled at times without the puck. He had an NHL-worst minus-43 in 2024-25. The two-year deal could prove whether he'll be a long-term investment for the Bruins.
The promising defenseman took on more minutes early on after Hampus Lindholm went down in November with a knee injury. Charlie McAvoy also missed the second half of the year with an AC joint injury suffered during the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off.
During the Bruins' end-of-season media availability, Lohrei revealed what he wanted to work on this summer, including wanting to be more explosive on his feet.
Advertisement
'I wanna be a two-way elite defenseman in this league,' he said. 'Just continuing to build and work on that stuff and be more consistent is something that I really wanna focus on.'
More Bruins content
Read the original article on MassLive.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NBC Sports
34 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Goalie market dries up as NHL teams scramble to secure netminders
It is not a good time to be an NHL team in need of a goaltender. Fewer than a dozen who played in the league last season were available as unrestricted free agents, Detroit acquired John Gibson from Anaheim after years of trade rumors and that left a handful of veteran backups to sign. New Jersey kept Jake Allen, Thatcher Demko stayed in Vancouver, Philadelphia added Dan Vladar and the New York Islanders signed David Rittich. 'Really, you sort of take a look at the landscape and see what's out there,' said Allen, who re-signed with the Devils for $9 million over five years. 'Yeah, there were some spots, but at the same time, my situation in Jersey was good.' Two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton might have lost out in the game of musical goalies and could have little choice but to stick with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. They combined for a save percentage of .888 in the playoffs, ranking 13th out of 16 teams, dropping to .866 in the Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida. Allen was not really an option for the Oilers because he wanted to stay on the East Coast regardless. They signed 31-year-old hometown product Matt Tompkins for two years at the league minimum $775,000. The Canucks have a rare surplus at the most important position in hockey after extending Demko for $8.5 million a year through 2029. They also have Kevin Lankinen under contract at $4.5 million annually through 2030, and Arturs Silovs backstopped Abbotsford of the American Hockey League to the Calder Cup after playing well in the playoffs for Vancouver last year. Demko is a franchise No. 1, so he's not going anywhere. 'Probably we have the best goalie tandem in the league,' said winger Conor Garland, who also signed a long-term extension with the Canucks. 'For Demmer just coming back being healthy and the presence he is in the room, what a competitor he is. He has kind of an aura about him of just being one of the top goalies in the league and how hard he practices and what that does for our room on a day-to-day basis having a guy like that, it's a huge impact.' Vladar, who turns 28 in August, signed for $6.7 million over the next two years to join the Flyers' mix. He figures to split time with Samuel Ersson. Rittich joins the Islanders as depth behind unquestioned starter Ilya Sorokin. Semyon Varlamov is under contract for two more seasons but has been injured, and general manager Mathieu Darche got some insurance with the soon-to-be 34-year-old nicknamed 'Big Save Dave.' 'You can never have enough goalies,' Darche said. '(Varlamov's) rehab is going well, but we still have to prepare in case something happens. David is a veteran around the NHL. He's a very capable NHL goalie, so we're excited to have him.' Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division, Carolina signed 25-year-old Amir Miftakhov after he put up some strong numbers in the KHL. With Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov already in place, Miftakhov is a potential low-risk, high-reward addition at the league minimum of $775,000 and the chance for him to play with AHL Chicago if needed. 'Amir has put together a number of solid seasons in the KHL and is ready to return to professional hockey in North America,' general manager Eric Tulsky said. 'It's important to have goaltending depth, and we look forward to having him in our organization.' The Panthers signed recently acquired Daniil Tarasov for $1.05 million, with Vitek Vanecek heading to Utah for $1.5 million. Buffalo signed well-traveled Alex Lyon to a two-year deal worth $3 million, and Seattle added two-time Cup champion Matt Murray for $1 million for next season. San Jose got Alexander Nedjelkovic from Pittsburgh for a 2028 third-round pick, with the goal of him pushing and helping young starter Yaroslav Askarov. Gibson was the most proven netminder available, and he has two years left on his current contract at an annual cap hit of $6.4 million. Days after changing places, he's not sure why the goalie market became so thin, but he's happy to be going to the Red Wings to perhaps revitalize his career at 31. 'It's a new chapter, fresh start, kind of going in excited to prove myself,' Gibson said. 'It's just an exciting opportunity to go to a team and an organization that really wants to get back and to playoff hockey.'


CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
Who did the Bruins sign on the first day of NHL free agency?
James Hagens and Will Moore on being taken by Boston Bruins in NHL Draft James Hagens and Will Moore on being taken by Boston Bruins in NHL Draft James Hagens and Will Moore on being taken by Boston Bruins in NHL Draft Tuesday marked the official start of NHL free agency. The Boston Bruins made several moves as they hope to improve from a disappointing 2024-25 season. The Bruins missed the postseason last year and ended up with the No. 7 pick in the NHL Draft. Boston used that pick to select center James Hagens out of Boston College. General Manager Don Sweeney spoke to reporters about the team's start to free agency. "The juice is coming. We expect to be a much more competitive team. The improvements now come from within. But make no mistake, if a younger player has the opportunity to make our team, he's making our team," Sweeney said. Sweeney confirmed the following moves so far for the Bruins. Viktor Arvidsson trade Boston sent a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Viktor Arvidsson. The 32-year-old played 67 games last year for the Oilers, notching 15 goals and 12 assists. During Edmonton's playoff run, which ended with a loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, Arvidsson scored two goals and had five assists. Bruns free agency signings In free agency, one contract that turn some heads around the league was the signing of hard-hitting forward Tanner Jeannot on a surprising 5-year deal worth $3.4 million annually. Jeannot projects as a fourth line addition for the Bruins, having scored seven goals each of the last two seasons. He notched a career-high 24 goals and 17 assists in 2021-22 with the Nasvhille Predators, but never has reached double digit goals since. The Bruins brought back a familiar face in forward Sean Kuraly, who agreed to a two-year deal worth $1.85 million per season. The 32-year-old played last year with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He spent the first five seasons of his career as a member of the Bruins. Forward Michael Eyssimont joined the Bruins on a deal valued at $1.45 million annually over the next two years. Eyssimont played in 77 games last year with Seattle and Tampa Bay, scored nine goals and dishing seven assists. AHL standout Matěj Blümel, who led the league in goals with 39 last year, signed a one-year, $875,000 contract. Blümel appeared in seven NHL games with the Dallas Stars last year, scoring once. Fellow AHL skater Alex Steeves signed for one year and $850,000. Steeves, a forward, notched 36 goals and 26 assists for the Toronto Marlies. Local product Jordan Harris is joining the Bruins as well. Harris, a 24-year-old defenseman from Haverhill who played at Northeastern, inked a contract for one year at $825,000. The Bruins signed forward Riley Tufte and Jonathan Aspirot to two-way contracts. Luke Cavallin, a goalie, signed an entry-level contract.


Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
NHL, NHLPA, IOC and IIHF finalize agreement for players to participate in 2026 Olympics
ZURICH (AP) — The NHL, NHLPA and international officials on Wednesday finalized a long-ago agreed-to deal to send players to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The league, union, International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic Committee confirmed the participation of NHL players at the games for the first time since 2014. The groups negotiated the agreement and announced it initially last year. IIHF president Luc Tardif called it 'a major step forward for our sport.' The final touches took time to figure out after officials insisted for months they were not concerned about the lack of a signed document. The deal opens the door for NHL participation to continue in 2030, something that had also been agreed to in February 2024. Last month, the 12 participating countries unveiled the first six players on their Olympic rosters. The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Games is scheduled to run from Feb. 11-22. ___ AP NHL: