Through three games of their first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres last spring, the Boston Bruins faced a 2-1 series deficit. First-year head coach Marco Sturm decided to shake things up when it came to his lineup for Game 4.
He sent defenseman Mason Lohrei to the pressbox for what turned out to be the final three games of the series that Buffalo closed out in six games. As expected, that didn't sit well with the former Ohio State standout.
“Obviously you’re pretty [ticked] off with that. I don’t know, you go into the beginning of the summer and it’s still fresh, so it sucks,” said Lohrei, per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.
However, as ticked off as Lohrei was, it has fueled his fire this summer in terms of preparation for the 2026-27 season. However, making the roster could be easier said than done, given the slew of defensemen that the Black and Gold have.
Bruins Mason Lohrei ready for 2026-27 training camp
Lohrei knows that making the roster isn't a given with all the new defensemen who are currently expected to be at Warrior Ice Arena in less than a month for camp. It is going to be a quick camp, with the season opener less than two weeks after camp begins. There are also four preseason games in less than a week before the New York Rangers visit TD Garden on Sept. 29 for the opener.
“I kind of like that competition aspect of it, especially going into camp, knowing you’ve got to earn your spot,” Lohrei said, per McBride. “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 is no shortage of blueliners for Sturm when camp begins, along with Lohrei. Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Jonathan Aspirot, Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Frederic Brunet, Connor Clifton, and Will Borgen, who was acquired from the Rangers through a trade on July 1.
One other thing that should be noted is that there is still time for a trade to be made by general manager Don Sweeney before camp begins. Lohrei has been the subject of trade rumors, and who knows, maybe a deal gets done with a blueliner. If it doesn't, Lohrei is ready for a training camp battle that will be worth keeping an eye on if you're a Bruins fan.
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