The Boston Bruins entered free agency with needs at both the NHL and AHL level. Needs at the NHL level would be difficult to fill in free agency so they were also exploring the trade market.
Here’s how the events played out:
The day opened with a depth move, as the Bruins announced a one‑year, two‑way extension for goaltender Luke Cavallin, carrying an $850,000 AAV. Cavallin spent the bulk of last season with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners but earned a look in Providence after Simon Zajicek went down with an injury, giving the organization a reliable internal option to keep the crease stabilized.
Depending on how things shake out at the NHL level, Cavallin should be pushing Zajicek for reps — which likely means Max Lundgren opens his pro career in Maine.
The Bruins answered the goaltending questions early in the afternoon, shipping Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers in exchange for right winger Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth‑round pick. That means Michael DiPietro will finally get a well-earned opportunity.
In Vaisanen, the Bruins pick up a right shot winger who helps address a clear need in Providence. He’s entering the final year of his entry‑level deal and is coming off a difficult season with the Hartford Wolfe Pack. A fourth‑round pick by the Rangers in 2021, Vaisanen has never profiled as a major offensive driver, but he brings organizational depth at a position where Providence needed reinforcements.
The Bruins followed up the trade by inking Connor Clifton to a two‑year deal carrying a $2.25 million AAV, bringing the veteran right‑shot defender back into the fold after stints with Pittsburgh last season and Buffalo the two years prior. You can argue whether it is an upgrade over Andrew Peeke, but the move also tightens Boston’s roster picture — potentially forcing the club to open up two spots if they want to avoid exposing Frederic Brunet and Matthew Poitras to waivers.
The Bruins also brought back Jordan Harris on a one‑year, $850,000 deal — a move that immediately tightened the roster picture and added another layer to the logjam. With Harris in the mix, Boston will need yet another spot opened if they intend to keep Brunet and Poitras off the waiver wire. Sure, they could send other players down to Providence, but that would introduce buried cap hits, and the club should be doing everything it can to avoid piling up unnecessary “dead money.”
The Bruins added another familiar piece to their organizational depth chart by signing Brendan Gaunce, who returns on a deal designed to bolster Providence’s forward group. Gaunce spent the 2019–20 season with the P-Bruins and appeared in one NHL game for Boston that year. He brings 214 games of NHL experience across stops in Columbus, Minnesota, and Boston, and he’s expected to help replace the leadership void left by Patrick Brown’s departure.
While it was Gaunce’s brother Cameron that broke the news On TSN’s free agency coverage, the deal has not yet been filed with the league so details are unavailable.
Even with the Korpisalo trade, the Bruins still have decisions looming. Moving Korpisalo was a crucial step in avoiding the risk of losing DiPietro on waivers, but the same dilemma now applies to Brunet and Poitras. Boston has to carve out roster space or face the possibility of exposing both players.
As the roster graphic above shows, the Bruins must be down to 23 players for opening night — and everyone except James Hagens and Fraser Minten requires waivers. That reality puts pressure on management to clear spots without creating casualties or losing young talent for nothing.
The Bruins are still involved in trade talk and the two names being thrown out are Michael Eyssimont and Henri Jokiharju, both made expendable with today’s moves.
–
