Boston Bruins 2023-24 Player Grades: Brandon Carlo

Another season, another work-man-like season from Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. The 6-foot-5, 217-pound blueliner once again was very steady at even strength for Jim Montgomery and a key penalty-killer, and the second-round pick, 37th overall in the 2015 Entry Draft, was a key mainstay on defense again.

It’s not surprising to see him have another steady season and in the playoffs, he took his game to another level for the Black and Gold in helping them beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games before losing in six games to Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.

Brandon Carlo 2023-24 regular season

A nightly workhorse, the Colorado native averaged just under 20 minutes a night in 76 games with four goals and 10 assists. He was paired on the second defensive pairing and despite playing on the penalty kill, he still managed to finish with a plus/minus of plus-23 after finishing with an insane plus-44 in 2022-23 in 75 games.

This season he shot the puck more than in previous seasons and finished the season with 140 blocks. A prototypical stay-at-home blueliner, he did a nice job of picking and choosing when to join the offensive rush, which paid off in the postseason.

Brandon Carlo 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs

In terms of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this was one for Carlo that ranks up there with some of his better ones. He again averaged just under 20 minutes a night, but he was much better in the defensive zone, a very good penalty killer against both the Maple Leafs and Panthers.

He also had a knack for coming up with big goals, scoring a second-period goal in Game 1 against Toronto in a 5-1 Bruins win, Then in Game 1 of the Florida series, he nearly missed the game in South Florida while his wife was giving berth to a child in Boston, but he made it in time and scored a key second-period goal in the final minute to help the Black and Gold steal the opening game. He added a goal later in the series in Game 4 at the TD Garden, but the Bruins would go on to lose that game.

Brandon Carlo’s future in Boston

Carlo will be playing in the fourth year of a six-year contract he signed for $24.6 million, carrying an AAV of $4.1 million. The 27-year-old is going to be a key of the defense next season and a pairing with youngster Mason Lorhei would be a good pairing that compliments each other very well.

Grade: A