Mason Lohrei Poised For Bruins Training Camp

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Mason Lohrei Poised For Bruins Training Camp

Originally posted on Pro Hockey Rumors
By Marcus Antonelli | Last updated Aug 24, 2026 12:52 PM ET

Mason Lohrei is up to the task for a packed Bruins training camp.

Despite being part of multiple trade rumors this past season, once earlier with the Calgary Flames for Rasmus Andersson before his birthday, and again with the Edmonton Oilers in a potential swap for Darnell Nurse, it appears Lohrei’s comments with Jim McBride of the Boston Globe indicate the defenseman isn’t going to be dealt away.

Boston made another logjam for themselves on defense. Their July 1 acquisitions of William Borgen and Connor Clifton solidified the right side under Charlie McAvoy, no doubt; however, that pushed Henri Jokiharju ($3MM AAV) out of many lineup projections.

On the left side, they brought back Jordan Harris, who isn’t likely to be in the top six, but what of Mason Lohrei is to be done? Many lineup projections draw him out with the intrigue of first-year standout Jonathan Aspirot and his budget-balling defensive steadiness on the top-pairing. This, however, has not taken away the young defenseman’s excitement from the intrigue of this year.

“I kind of like that competition aspect of it, especially going into camp, knowing you’ve got to earn your spot,” he said. “And we have a lot of really good NHL-caliber defensemen that are going to be competing for spots. And I think that’s going to just help everybody raise their compete level. I know it’s going to help me, for sure.”

There are now nine defensemen under contract who saw a chunk of NHL ice time last season with the Bruins. Taking into account their praise of top-defensive prospect in lefty Frederic Brunet, ten players are unable to maneuver waivers if sent down, and at least three will need to go to Providence at the end of training camp.

If Lohrei and Jokiharju sit in the press box together, the Bruins will be spending $6.2MM towards both as depth in 2026-27. A scenario that the front office either welcomes based on their continued emphasis for depth, however, one must consider how else they could be allocating that money. So are they ready to let all those millions of dollars not consistently impact their NHL lineup?

The 25-year-old is under contract through next season at a $3.2MM cap hit, after that he will be an arbitration-eligible RFA and one year away from hitting unrestricted free agency. Lohrei finished his 2025-26 scoring 7 goals for 26 points in 73 games and demonstrated steady improvement after multiple benchings. The most notable stat improvment came in the rating category, he was a plus-17, a substantial increase from his minus-43 number in 2024-25, when he had to take on much more ice-time with injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm.

Although for now his offensive presence brings a need for the Bruins blue line, the question marks from his defensive inconsistencies bring up the question of whether to potentially add him in a package as part of a bigger trade or see things through on what his ceiling could be. This training camp will be an eye-opener for that.

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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