For all of the speculation focused on the reshaping of the Boston Bruins’ forward lines via trades or especially via the opening of NHL free agency at 12 noon ET Tuesday, July 1, General Manager Don Sweeney got done this morning the one thing he absolutely needed to do ahead of the bell, and that was signing right-shot defenseman Henri Jokiharju.
The hole left by Brandon Carlo’s departure to Toronto at the March 7 trade deadline is hereby addressed in the form of a team-friendly, three-year contract extension at $3 million per.
Rink Rap had been all over this outcome – at a higher price – before the 2024-25 debacle ended but had been recently compelled by Dante Fabbro’s matching status as a right-shot defenseman approaching UFA until Columbus GM Don Waddell convinced the former BU blueliner (and Charlie McAvoy teammate) to re-up with the Blue Jackets.
The Bruins made a flurry of moves, extending restricted free agent forward Morgan Geekie (six years at a $5.5 million salary-cap hit) last night and then, this morning, announcing the Jokiharju deal along with extensions for RFA C/LW Johnny Beecher (one year, $900K) and UFA goalie Michael DiPietro (two years at $812,500 per).
As noted in last night’s post, Jokiharju brought a calm to the Boston blue line that had been elusive through the early stages of Nikita Zadorov’s Boston debut and the season-ending injuries sustained by Hampus Lindholm and, in the 4 Nations, Charlie McAvoy.
While a three-year commitment to the Finnish defenseman is a creative compromise meant to afford him the opportunity to walk two weeks after he turns 28, it solves the Bruins’ immediate problem and, at the same time, preserves more salary-cap space for a competitive plunge into free agency tomorrow.
Reports state that the Toronto Maple Leafs also want to replace UFA RW Mitch Marner with Vancouver UFA RW Brock Boeser, and one advantage the Leafs have is a game sweater with a legacy number for Boeser, who wore 6 in Vancouver but 16 at North Dakota. Marner wore 16 with Toronto, so while it’s generally not a good idea to replace a player with a player in the same number – players and coaches alike hate when new players are thusly spotlighted. They’d rather have them focus on their own identity and forging their own role and redefining team chemistry, but Boeser could go back to 16 in blue.
The Leafs retired 6 for the original Ace Bailey, put it back in circulation for Ron Ellis, then re-retired the number. For the Bruins, it’s the opposite: 16 is retired for Rick Middleton, and 6 has been Mason Lohrei’s number going back to The Ohio State University. It would be unfair to ask the defenseman to give it up now, especially after he just re-signed as a restricted free agent.
Yes, I realize I’m getting way ahead of myself here.
The Bruins are now set in goal and on defense for the 2025-26 season, leaving the middle six of their forward lines as the remaining jigsaw puzzle.
One advantage Beecher had over Jakub Lauko, who according to Steve Conroy’s report in the Boston Herald was not tendered a qualifying offer (rendering the feisty winger an unrestricted free agent when the market opens tomorrow), is he was a late, first-round draft pick of the Bruins, who especially after trading Trent Frederic (same pedigree), did not want to give up on yet another first-rounder in the wake of the 2024-25 debacle.
So Beecher gets a prove-it deal with UFA status available next summer. Lauko, unless the market is underwhelming and he (and the Bruins) want a return completely on Boston’s terms, will continue his journeyman’s career elsewhere. The NHL always has room for a feisty winger in his 20s. I’m a little surprised, given the Bruins’ situation and the patience they want to show their growing chart of legit prospects, that Lauko is apparently on the move – again.
Former Bruin Jeremy Lauzon, the first expansion pick of the Seattle Kraken from Boston in 2021, is on the move again, this time to Vegas (with center Colton Sissons) for big defenseman Nicolas Hague. Barry Trotz is remaking the Nashville Predators, and the Golden Knights are gaining forward depth and preserving their thump on the back end while preserving cap space. Creative hockey trade for both sides.
Finally, DiPietro’s modest contract on the eve of free agency has the pundits scrambling for theories as to what this could mean because the Providence Bruins netminder obviously left money on the table as teams around the league search for depth and answers to playoffs gone wrong.
Toss into a salad with Joonas Korpisalo’s exit interview with Boston beat writers, being candid about his frustration with a lack of starts while he was playing well and the team (he didn’t say it but …) was not, and speculation abounds that this is a precursor to a trade of Korpisalo so the Bruins can stay one, big happy family.
Here are my problems with that theory:
Sweeney just traded his captain and two veteran leaders with term remaining on their contracts. This is not one, big happy family, it’s a divorce with kids, a house, cars and bills to pay. The family will settle in later this summer, after what happens tomorrow (another new relationship introduced into the equation). There is no chemistry to maintain at this point, it’s a hooded sidewalk with staging and noisy reconstruction going on overhead.
Secondly, Korpisalo is the perfect backup for Jeremy Swayman. He competes and he pushes and he’s honest about it. This relationship should bring out the best in Swayman has he approaches his do-over season as the Bruins’ No. 1.
The best guess I have in the moment is DiPietro was compelled to stick around by the promise of an honest competition for the backup role in the NHL. If it doesn’t work out, two more years in Providence like the last two wouldn’t be a bad thing. He reportedly likes it here. There are no guarantees out there, and maybe with Korpisalo only having one year remaining on his deal, a good season could end with DiPietro in Boston. I just don’t see a Korpisalo trade under consideration by Boston management until the season finds positive traction, all three goalies are playing well (making it a crowded house) and the Bruins set their sights on trade-deadline improvement as a team headed back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That is, after all, the premise Sweeney stated on March 7 with the decision to cash in on the seller’s market by moving Carlo and Charlie Coyle (in addition to Brad Marchand) for futures. Sweeney and team president Cam Neely believe that the Bruins can restock their forward lines tomorrow and be back next year. No one’s got delusions of Cup contention, but from a one-step-at-a-time posture, they believe this can be a sudden turnaround to re-establish viability in the playoff race.
As for the hype machine suddenly turning its attention back toward the idea of Marchand returning to the Bruins, I found it a hard sell after watching so many 63 replica game sweaters (not the new/old design) gobbled up in the shadow of the Bobby Orr statue on Friday afternoon at $25(!) a pop.
And if he somehow does, he should switch letters with David Pastrnak. It’s Pasta’s team now.
10-9-8 …
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 