Jordan Harris' first year as a Boston Bruins was one of the more unfortunate stories of the season. The Massachusettes native was one of the happiest players in the league to be back in his home state with the team he rooted for growing up, but just as he begun to get some time in the lineup, an ankle injury knocked him out for a couple of months.
The Bruins persevered through a bunch of injuries, but there were times when they could've really used Harris' presence in the lineup. With the trade deadline quickly approaching and the Bruins still fighting for a playoff spot, Harris has gone down the road to Providence for a conditioning stint, which should soon bring him back to Boston's defense corps.
All of the Bruins' defensemen are starting to get healthy at the right time. There will be a logjam once Harris is ready and Henri Jokiharju returns from his personal matter. With Jonathan Aspirot recently signed to an extension and looking like one of the team's top six defensemen, there will have to be someone who takes the loss.
The Bruins were about to move out Mason Lohrei for Rasmus Andersson, but the trade talks hit a snag when Andersson wouldn't sign a long-term extension. If the Bruins are still serious about trading Lohrei, there should be some team willing to take a chance on developing him into a reliable top-four defenseman. Now that the league knows he's available, Don Sweeney might be able to get a deal done.
They also have to look at moving Andrew Peeke, who is an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Right-shot defensemen often fetch a lot of value on the trade market as the playoffs approach, and the Bruins might want to accrue some assets before Peeke leaves in the offseason.
The return of Harris and the emergence of Aspirot puts the Bruins in a unique position. They could trade one or both of Lohrei and Peeke and have Harris and Aspirot step in without sacrificing the team's success. If Sweeney can find a way to move out some of those trade candidates while still staying in the playoff race, it'd be another shrewd move in the trade market for the general manager.