The Boston Bruins have made multiple moves this off-season. They not only brought in plenty of new talent, but they also re-signed several of their players from last season's roster. This includes defenseman Henri Jokiharju.
Jokiharju, 26, was one of the Bruins' top pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs). However, the Bruins got him signed to a three-year, $9 million contract before he could have hit the market on July 1. As a result, he will carry an affordable $3 million cap hit with the Original Six club for the next three years.
While Jokiharju is not necessarily a big-name defenseman, the Bruins undoubtedly made the right move re-signing him to this three-year deal. With top pending UFAs like Aaron Ekblad and Dante Fabbro re-signing with their current clubs, there were not too many notable right-shot defensemen who hit the market at the start of the month. Thus, finding an adequate replacement for Jokiharju would have been an incredibly difficult task for the Bruins.
Jokiharju was also an immediate fit with the Bruins after they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. The 2017 first-round pick handled himself well in a big role on the Bruins' blueline, posting four assists, 15 hits, 22 blocks, and a plus-7 rating in 18 games. He provided more stability on the Bruins' blueline, so that certainly played another role in them keeping Jokiharju around. With this, he should continue to be a solid part of Boston's top four as they look to turn things around next season.
Overall, the Jokiharju signing has the potential to be a very good move for the Bruins. There is no question that they needed to keep him on their right side, and they got him back at a reasonable $3 million cap hit. It will be interesting to see how Jokiharju performs for the Bruins after landing his new contract from here, but this deal should age well for Boston.
Bruins: Reason For Shocking Tanner Jeannot Contract Revealed
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins">Boston Bruins </a>signed a bunch of players on July 1. Tanner Jeannot was their most notable signing, however, as the Bruins surprisingly signed him to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $3.4 million. This is after Jeannot had just seven goals and six assists in 67 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings in 2024-25.
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