This offseason, the Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney have some tough decisions to make when it comes to reshaping the Black and Gold's roster for the 2026-27 season. Running it back the way it ended this past season is an option, however, it wouldn't be good enough to get into the playoffs again next spring.
The rest of the conference, heck, the rest of the division is going to get better and healthier this summer. That could create some roadblocks for the Bruins looking to build off a 2025-26 season that saw them exceed expectations in Year 1 of a retool under first-year manager Marco Sturm.
When to comes to assets to get a deal or two done, there is no doubt that the Bruins have assets teams would like. They have a handful of prospects who could be moved, along with draft picks. However, one name that keeps coming up is Mason Lohrei. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN wrote what all Boston know and some need reality to set in for some fans.
ESPN said what most Bruins fans agree with Mason Lohrei
This isn't going to Lohrei's first rodeo when it comes to his name being in trade rumors. Heck, his name was being thrown around back in January when Sweeney tried to acquire Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Fames before things reportedly fell through.
"Lohrei was linked to the Bruins' pursuit of defenseman Rasmus Andersson before Calgary traded him to Vegas. Boston wants to acquire more speed and skill. GM Don Sweeney said that Lohrei has "a lot of upside" ... but he also watched the last three games of their first-round series against Buffalo from the press box,'' Wyshynski wrote.
There is no doubt that Lohrei has had his ups and downs with the Bruins, but there is no debating that the talent isn't there. It is. If there is someone who could use a change of scenery, it could very well be Lohrei. He is a big defenseman who can quarterback a power play, something he doesn't get a chance to do much in Boston. He's young and on a very affordable contract, which teams would covet.
Sweeney has a handful of assets this summer, but Lohrei might be one of bigger ones that is part of a deal that addresses a major need on the backend for the Black and Gold.
