When he was drafted and then when Boston Bruins fans followed his college career at Ohio State, there was a lot to like about left-shot defenseman Mason Lohrei. He was an offensive defenseman in college and one of the better puck-moving blueliners for the Buckeyes.
There was a lot of hype surrounding him when he signed his entry-level deal and made the move to the pros. After getting his feet wet in the 2023-24 season, playing in 41 regular-season games and 11 postseason games, he's been a full-time defenseman in the NHL the last two seasons. However, talk about an up and down two seasons for the left-shot, which now leaves his future in Boston in doubt.
Mason Lohrei's 2025-26 regular season
After playing in 77 games in the 2024-25 season with five goals and 28 assists, he had finished what was a frustrating season for everyone with a plus/minus of minus-43. That was astonishing. You could make the case that he made better strides on a better Bruins team this season.
In 7 regular-season games, he had seven goals and 19 assists with a plus-17. He saw his average time on the ice dip to 16:54 a night. He was better in a lot of areas, as was Boston. However, in January, he was reportedly close to dealing dealt to the Calgary Flames in a deal that would have landed the Black and Gold defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Instead, the deal fell through, and Lohrei scored a huge goal in a win over the Chicago Blackhawks on the road.
Mason Lohrei's 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
After playing well in the postseason two years ago against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, it was a different story this spring. In the Bruins six-game series loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Lohrei played in just half of the games before becoming a scratch with a minus-4. That leaves a lot of questions surrounding his future in Boston.
Things could get interesting over the next couple of weeks for Lohrei and the Bruins. It wouldn't be surprising to see him moved, but it also wouldn't be surprising to see him return for next season. Time will tell what Sweeney ends up doing.
Mason Lohrei 2025-26 Grade: C+
Add us as a preferred source on Google