Despite a quick playoff exit to the Buffalo Sabres, the Boston Bruins still had a very successful 2025-26 season. They entered the campaign with low expectations due to how horribly their 2024-25 campaign went, but they responded by finishing the year with a 45-27-10 record and 100 points. 

There were many reasons for the Bruins' significant turnaround in 2025-26. Among them was the incredibly impressive breakout season defenseman Jonathan Aspirot had. 

Last summer, the Bruins signed Aspirot to a one-year, two-way contract with the expectation that he would be used as a defenseman for their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. It is understandable, as the 27-year-old spent the entirety of his career in the AHL at that point. 

Yet, Aspirot ended up earning an early-season call-up from Boston and took advantage of it big time. He cemented himself as a very important part of the Bruins' blueline and formed marvelous chemistry with Charlie McAvoy on their top pairing. This helped him earn a two-year, $1.775 million ($887,500 AAV) contract extension from the Bruins in January. This deal is now already looking like a complete steal. 

Not too many 27-year-old defenseman make the jump to the NHL to the AHL and play top-pairing minutes. However, Aspirot not only did that, but ended up being very effective in the process. With this, he was a wonderful story from the Bruins' 2025-26 season, and it will be fascinating to see what he can do for an encore next season. 

In 61 games last season for Boston, Aspirot posted three goals, 10 assists, 13 points, 83 blocks, 86 hits, and a team-best plus-30 rating.