The 2026-27 Boston Bruins season is here and begins on Tuesday night at TD Garden when they welcome the New York Rangers. It'll be the second game of the NHL season after the Carolina Hurricanes raise their banner in the opener at 5 against the Florida Panthers in a matchup of the last three Cup winners.
When it comes to the Black and Gold, they announced their roster on Monday, and there really were not many surprises, if any. On Sunday, general manager Don Sweeney placed defenseman Henri Jokiharju on waivers, and he cleared waivers to get to the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins. However, just how long will he be there? According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, it might not be long.
Elliotte Friedman reports the Bruins are looking to trade Henri Jokiharju
Acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline in March of 2025, Jokiharju was brought in to fill the open roster spot created after Sweeney traded Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs. As is sometimes the case with Sweeney, he overreacted to a short sample size.
In the summer of 2025, Sweeney inked Jokiharju to a three-year contract with an AAV of $3 million. That's quickly turning into a rough contract. Sweeney likely saw a cheap way to fill a need on defense, but he was scratched for half of the Black and Gold's games in 2025-26, despite all the injuries that piled up on the back end as the season went along.
On Tuesday, Friedman dropped his first 32 Thoughts written, and he reported that the Bruins are trying to trade Jokiharju, which is clearly easier said than done.
"Boston is trying to find a new home for Henri Jokiharju, who cleared waivers. There are teams curious to see what they do with Matthew Poitras, who avoided them for the time being. Can’t imagine he’d slide through,'' Friedman wrote.
The latter about Poitras is nothing new. He's beginning the season on injured reserve, and when he comes off, that's when things will get interesting. As for Jokiharju, it was clear going into the season that there was going to be major competition for a spot on defense, and despite Charlie McAvoy being suspended for the first six games, he wasn't able to stick in Boston.
Youngster Frederic Brunet earned a spot, and the addition of Connor Clifton squeezed out Jokiharju; now it's about finding a new home. However, again, that's easier said than done, as he cleared waivers with no team claiming him. Clearly, Sweeney is looking to make up for his mistake in re-signing him, but finding a taker might take some time.
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