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Bruins, Mason Lohrei both bridge gap by agreeing to 2-year contract
Mason Lohrei had his fair share of ups and downs during his first full season in the NHL.
The Bruins checked off one of their in-house tasks of the offseason on Monday morning, with the team announcing that it signed defenseman Mason Lohrei to a two-year contract extension worth a $3.2 million cap hit.
Lohrei, 24, was a restricted free agent and due for a pay raise after spending his first full season in the NHL ranks with Boston in 2024-25.
After showcasing plenty of promise during the 2023-24 campaign (13 points over 41 games, 16:57 average ice time), the Ohio State product went through his fair share of growing pains this past year.
Lohrei was as advertised as a dynamic offensive threat from the blue line, recording five goals and 33 total points over his 77 games while averaging 19:32 of average ice time per game.
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But the forward-turned-defenseman also had his warts down the other end of the ice, with Lohrei’s defensive game taking on water via poor reads and positioning at times in the D-zone.
He finished with a league-worst minus-43 rating in 2024-25, with that stat standing as an indictment on both Boston’s overall porous defensive structure and Lohrei’s own lapses.
Lohrei still represents an intriguing lineup regular for the Bruins, as few blueliners with his 6-foot-5 frame also boast the playmaking instincts that he showcases out on the ice.
As such, it comes as little surprise that the Bruins and Lohrei opted for more of a bridge deal on this two-year contract.
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For the Bruins, this contract gives them additional time to develop Lohrei and gauge whether or not he’s really a foundational piece moving that will command a heftier contract moving forward.
If Marco Sturm and Boston’s coaching staff can iron out some of the flaws in his defensive game, Lohrei could be a potential top-four stalwart who could develop into Charlie McAvoy’s regular D partner for the long haul.
Even if Lohrei ends up developing into more of a sheltered third-pairing asset, he could add more value to the Bruins if he develops into an effective power-play weapon on a revamped man-advantage in the years ahead.
As for Lohrei, this $3.2 million cap hit moving forward stands as a raise from the $925,000 he secured this past year.
But if he does take a major step forward in the next two years, he also sets himself up for a pretty substantial pay day in 2027 when the NHL’s salary cap should continue to spike.
The Bruins can now turn to a few of their own RFAs and try to finalize deals before free agency officially begins on July 1.
Boston’s remaining RFAs include Morgan Geekie — who is due a substantial raise after scoring 33 goals this past year — along with Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Johnny Beecher.
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