July 1 was the opening of free agency for the National Hockey League, and the Boston Bruins have already been making some moves. The Bruins have made two separate trades with the New York Rangers, one sending Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers and the other sending two picks. In return, the Bruins got Kalle Vaisanen and Will Borgen. They also made a surprising signing that was not what most people had expected when trying to address the hole in the right side of the defense.
That signing was Connor Clifton on a two-year contract with a $2.25 million cap hit. Clifton returns to the Boston Bruins after spending the last three years with the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. He had spent his first five years in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, including the 2022-23 record-breaking season.
How does it stabalize the defense?
The Bruins in the 2025-26 season played with four left defenseman and 2 right defenseman. That's not the best course of action, seeing as there are only three defenseman pairs in the lineup. The two main right-handed defensemen were Charlie McAvoy and Henri Jokiharju. Charlie McAvoy is the first-line defenseman until he was injured.
The other defenseman was Andrew Peeke, who is an unrestricted free agent. With the signing of Clifton, it seems like it is more likely than not Peeke is not going to be resigning with the Boston Bruins.
Why yes Peeke was a right handed shot, the right handed side of the defense always seemed to circulate between really good and the worst in the league.
Adding Clifton may not solve the big picture of the needs for a right-handed shooter on the defense, but he does play strong defense and brings that aspect of Bruins hockey, like Nikita Zadorov and McAvoy.
Clifton will slide in on the third line, most likely mirroring Jonathan Aspirot, unless Mason Lohrei is traded, even though Aspirot may push Lohrei out during camp. Having a stable third line allows if necessary, the first and second lines to be able to fluctuate if need be.
What the defense looks like with Clifton added
The 2026-27 defense is going to look a lot different from the one that did during the 2025-26 season. The lines could look like this - if they had also kept Peeke, which is unlikely with the signing of Clifton and Borgen.
- with just Clifton:
1. Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov
This should be the first line no matter what happens with the other defenseman.
2. Andrew Peeke and Hampus Lindholm
If Peeke re-signs with the Bruins, this makes the most sense for a second line. He won't after signing with the Utah Mammoth on Friday night. A good thought, though.
3. Connor Clifton and Mason Lohrei
Yes, put Mason Lohrei on the third line, he could learn some things from Connor Clifton.
This is obviously not guaranteed, as there is still time before the season starts, as well as training camp. Clifton slides right into the third line and helps fill in a part of the right side fixes that the Bruins needed to address coming into free agency. While it may not seem like it, only time will tell as well.
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