Bruins Should Use Mason Lohrei as a Trade Chip to Upgrade Roster

The Boston Bruins could benefit from making a move if the latest rumor comes to fruition. With Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos being a loud voice in the NHL’s rumor mill, his words travel quickly amongst fans and pundits. His latest report involves one Bruins defenseman.

Kypreos reported that the Bruins are interested in moving their 25-year-old defenseman, Mason Lohrei, on his Trade Board 7.0.

After getting into just three playoff games, I’ve heard the Bruins are looking into moving the 25-year-old Mason Lohrei. He’s a good player making $3.2 million for another season before he becomes an RFA, but the Bruins are doing their due diligence to see if his upside is appealing enough to another team to allow Boston to get back someone else who will help them in another part of the lineup.

Lohrei has hit a plateau of growth in Boston, having scored seven goals this season and 26 points (two of those on the power play).

Lohrei was selected 58th overall in 2020 by the Bruins and made his NHL debut on Nov. 23, 2023, in a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since he joined the Bruins, he’s played three seasons of NHL hockey and finished the season with a plus-17 rating, compared to his minus-43 in 2024-25.

The 25-year-old has played 191 NHL games, recording 72 points (16 goals, 56 assists). Lohrei’s still got developing to do as he’s nowhere near a finished product.

“It’s kind of always the same thing. I always try to get faster, quicker, you know, foot speed and that’s a big one is just skating and getting quicker and then continue to get stronger and fill out my frame. It’s kind of the same thing every summer, to be honest with you.” from ‘NHL Notes: Lohrei at a crossroads with the Bruins’, Boston Sports Journal, Joe Haggerty, 05/24/2026

He had already been a part of trade rumors during the regular season, where the Bruins explored a move for defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Instead of signing an extension with the Bruins, the trade fell through, and he headed to the West Coast for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Per RG.org, the Bruins offered Lohrei and a first-round pick for Andersson.

“The Bruins made an offer,” another NHL source told RG on Monday night. 

“I’m hearing that Mason Lohrei and the Bruins’ first-round pick are in play.”

It didn’t help his cause when he was benched for three games during the playoffs due to a lack of confidence, according to Don Sweeney.

However, he still watched the last three playoff games from the press box. Lohrei told reporters that it was a “behind closed doors decision,” while Don Sweeney said that he “lost his confidence” during the playoffs.

A fresh start might be the next best move for both the Bruins and Lohrei, who could deliver meaningful assets in return that could push the team forward beyond a first-round playoff exit.

Should the Bruins Trade Mason Lohrei?

It was established that Lohrei and a first-round pick could’ve brought the Bruins a top-four defenseman (Andersson), but he refused to sign an extension, ending the deal immediately. If Lohrei can’t fit in during the playoffs, he should be considered a trade chip; he still has value to use, whether they give him another year in Boston or not.

He’s established himself as a player who has plenty of upside, but he hasn’t tapped into his full potential yet. He’s improved his play significantly on both ends of the puck, turning his minus-43 rating into a plus-17 under head coach Marco Sturm’s system. A sign that he’s still developing.

As a pending restricted free agent, Lohrei could fetch a decent return for a Bruins team that is structurally weak in multiple areas on the ice. Not only do they need “piss and vinegar”, but skill and speed.