Bruins Recall Billy Sweezey On Emergency Basis
The Bruins announced Sunday they’ve recalled defenseman Billy Sweezey from AHL Providence under emergency conditions and designated Henri Jokiharju as a non-roster player due to a family matter. Their active roster count remains at 23.
Sweezey was sent down just yesterday to make room for fellow rearguard Hampus Lindholm as he came off injured reserve. That was only a one-day recall, coming after a Friday emergency summons due to concerns about Andrew Peeke‘s availability.
Sweezey did not play in yesterday’s 5-2 win over the Blackhawks, only because Lindholm was able to re-enter the lineup after a six-game absence. Now, with Peeke still listed as day-to-day with his lower-body injury and Jokiharju being essentially confirmed unavailable for Tuesday’s game against the Stars, Sweezey has a legitimate shot at making his Boston debut this week.
The B’s signed the 29-year-old righty to a two-year, two-way contract in free agency in 2024. The undrafted Yale grad had spent the majority of his professional career in the Blue Jackets organization prior to arriving in Boston, including several call-ups late in the 2022-23 campaign that resulted in him making his NHL debut.
In nine games for Columbus that season, he recorded an assist and a -3 rating while averaging 17:07 of ice time per game. The defensive-minded 6’1″, 202-lb depth man then spent all of 2023-24 on assignment to the AHL before reaching unrestricted free agency and landing with his hometown Bruins.
After spending the totality of last season in Providence after clearing waivers, Sweezey now has a shot at his first NHL game in nearly three years. He’s having a career year for the P-Bruins, tying his career high in AHL points (11) in just 34 games. His +22 rating not only leads Providence blue liners but is also tied for third in the league overall behind teammate Patrick Brown and the Red Wings’ William Lagesson, who share a +23.
He’ll be relieving Jokiharju, who’s been a fine addition to Boston’s blue line since being acquired from the Sabres at last year’s trade deadline. The shutdown-minded righty has nine assists and a +3 rating in 32 outings this season, averaging 17:53 per game with strong possession numbers – a 50.7 CF% and 52.0 xGF% – at even strength.
Bruins Lead Pursuit Of Flames’ Rasmus Andersson
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is one of the top players available for trade at this stage in the 2025-26 season, and as a result, his name has featured heavily in recent reporting as he figures to be dealt at some point in the near future. Numerous developments have been reported regarding Andersson, and on yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Elliotte Friedman issued a few notable updates on Andersson’s status.
According to Friedman, “the team that appears to be in the driver’s seat” is the Boston Bruins. Friedman characterized Boston’s interest in Andersson as “very serious,” and added that not only has Boston made Calgary an offer that is believed to be more to Calgary’s liking than the offers of other suitors (such as the Vegas Golden Knights), but they are also the only team, per Friedman, that has permission from the Flames to conduct extension talks with Andersson’s representatives.
Those extension talks between Boston and Andersson’s camp, which is led by Claude Lemieux of 4Sports Hockey, were characterized as “pretty significant” by Friedman. The talks are significant for all parties involved, as the Bruins’ interest in trading for Andersson is reportedly entirely contingent on being able to secure his agreement on a long-term extension.
Because the Bruins are only interested in trading for Andersson if they can sign him to a contract extension, it tracks that their offer to the Flames appears to be more substantive, at this stage, than the offers made by other suitors.
Generally speaking, teams are more willing to part with quality trade assets if they’re receiving a core player in return, rather than a rental.
While the Vegas Golden Knights appear confident that they’d be able to sign Andersson, the fact that the Bruins would only make this trade with an extension in place has a key implication: it means that their trade offer to the Flames takes into consideration, from the outset, the fact that they’d be acquiring a core piece rather than a rental player.
Right now, per Friedman, Vegas’ offer “is not seen” to be as strong as Boston’s. While he cited both the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs as other teams in the mix, the Bruins are seen as the clear front-runner to acquire the Flames blueliner.
As for what Andersson might cost Boston, there’s no firm indication as to what the Bruins have included in their offer to Calgary. If the Flames are looking for, at minimum, a first-round pick and a quality prospect, perhaps one that is close to NHL ready, the Bruins have some options to play with.
Boston could dangle a top-five-protected Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2026 first round pick, the one they acquired in last year’s Brandon Carlo deal, as a core part of their offer. The Maple Leafs are currently on the outside of the playoff picture, meaning the pick could be one that participates in the draft lottery.
While it’s almost guaranteed Boston would be trading at least one of its first-rounders in any Andersson deal, it’s less immediately clear what sort of prospect (or prospects) they might have included in their offer to the Flames. Their prospect pool is in better shape than it’s been in recent years, rising to a No. 17 ranking among systems across the league, per Elite Prospects.
One has to assume 2025 No. 7 pick James Hagens is off the table as Boston’s No. 1 prospect and a key piece of the team’s future. 2024 first-rounder Dean Letourneau has had a stellar sophomore season at Boston College, but the Bruins may be loath to surrender the 6’7″ pivot alongside a high-end draft choice.
2021 first-rounder Fabian Lysell has been unable to break into the NHL with the Bruins, and an Andersson trade could serve as his opportunity to receive a change of scenery. But Lysell may not hold enough value at this stage to be the centerpiece prospect of an Andersson offer, though he is far closer to the NHL than No. 2-ranked prospect Letourneau or No. 4 prospect William Moore.
Other possibilities from Boston’s system include World Juniors standout Will Zellers, first-year pro center Dans Locmelis, and Youngstown Phantoms star Cooper Simpson.
While one of these names appears likely to have been included in Boston’s offer for Andersson, there’s no guarantee any of them will end up ultimately being dealt by the Bruins. Other teams are still in the mix to secure Andersson’s services. Although Boston is reportedly the only one at this stage that has had substantive extension talks with the player, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll end up a Bruin.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Bruins Activate Hampus Lindholm, Reassign Billy Sweezey
The Boston Bruins will have a major piece of the defense back for their Saturday matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Hampus Lindholm has been activated from injured reserve after missing the last six games with an undisclosed injury sustained in January 3rd’s overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks. To make room for Lindholm’s addition, Boston has reassigned defenseman Billy Sweezey.
Boston kept up their strong season in Lindholm’s absence. The Bruins posted a 5-1-0 record and 4.33-to-2.00 average goal differential over their last six games. The Bruins leaned on their top-four defenders with Lindholm out – but the second pair of Jonathan Aspirot and Henri Jokiharju stood up to the test, while Mason Lohrei offered a nice bit of depth offense.
Lindholm will offer a timely boost to Boston’s firing defense, while Andrew Peeke – the Bruins’ quietest defender as of late – will be a natural scratch from the lineup. Lindholm has recorded 14 points, 36 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 34 games this season. He has again served as a pillar of the blue-line, averaging over 22 minutes of ice time each game. He’ll bring a responsible, veteran presence back to the Bruins’ fold as the team looks to extend a five-game win streak.
Meanwhile, Sweezey will return to the Providence Bruins without making his Boston Bruins debut. The 29-year-old defenseman was recalled as an extra defenseman after Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Sweezey has recorded 11 points, 33 penalty minutes, and a team-leading plus-22 in 34 games with Providence this season. He is in his second season in Providence after spending three seasons with the Cleveland Monsters. That stint saw Sweezey play his first nine games in the NHL with the 2022-23 Columbus Blue Jackets. He recorded one assist, nine penalty minutes, and a minus-three in those games.
Agent Change For Poitras
- Bruins center Matthew Poitras has changed agents, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link). After being represented previously by John Walters from The Will Sports Group, the 21-year-old has signed with Newport’s Wade Arnott. Poitras has played in 33 games with Boston in each of the last two seasons but has played exclusively with AHL Providence in 2025-26. So far, he has six goals and 14 assists in 33 games in the minors. This is the final season of his entry-level deal and he will be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights next summer.
Bruins Among Finalists For Rasmus Andersson
Jan. 17th: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Andersson’s market has been narrowed down to four teams: two in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western Conference. Dreger listed the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights as two of them, but didn’t specify the other two. Unless significant traction is made within the next few hours, Dreger expects Andersson to play for the Flames tonight.
Anaheim Ducks Acquire Jeffrey Viel
According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have traded bottom-six forward Jeffrey Viel to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick. The Ducks originally had the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers’ fourth-round picks for the upcoming draft, and the highest one will go to Boston.
Viel, 28, had spent the last two years in the Bruins organization after signing a two-year, $1.55MM contract with the team ahead of the 2024-25 season. He spent much of last season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, scoring 13 goals and 37 points in 68 games with a +14 rating. Additionally, he was again one of the most penalized forwards in the league, finishing with 148 PIMs.
That’s been the status quo for Viel throughout his professional career. Since the 2018-19 campaign, with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, Viel has recorded 75 goals and 170 points in 349 AHL games with 688 PIMs. It averages out to nearly one minor penalty per game.
Instead of beginning this season in the AHL, Viel cracked Boston’s opening night roster as the team was looking to become more hard-nosed. Still, he’s been a healthy scratch most nights, going scoreless across 10 games, averaging 9:30 of ice time per game.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Ducks utilize Viel in their lineup, if at all. The team already has a comparable forward in Ross Johnston, though Johnston offers more offensive upside, at least this season. There’s certainly a chance they will send Viel to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, where he would usurp Travis Howe as the team’s “tough guy,” given that he could also be a reliable secondary scorer.
Meanwhile, the Bruins had an opening on their roster after sending Viel to Orange County. Moving quickly, Boston announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Billy Sweezey from AHL Providence.
Sweezey, a native of Massachusetts, is in his second year with the Bruins organization. He’s already surpassed his scoring totals last year, starting with one goal and 11 points in 34 games to start the year with a +22 rating. Sweezey’s recall is likely linked to the status of Andrew Peeke, who left Boston’s game last night due to a lower-body injury.
Bruins Sign Jonathan Aspirot To Two-Year Extension
The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Jonathan Aspirot to a two-year, $1.775MM contract extension. Aspirot made his NHL debut at the start of the season. He has since played in 25 games, locking in the 2025-26 season as his rookie year in the NHL. Aspirot has three points, a plus-15, and 17 penalty minutse through those contests.
Aspirot took the long route to the NHL. He went undrafed after three years in the QMJHL but showed off enough shutdown defense to earn an AHL contract with the Belleville Senators in 2019. Aspirot stuck with the AHL Senators for the next four seasons, routinely rivaling 15-to-20 points and a positive plus-minus while rotating through Belleville’s lineup. He seemed to have his pro legs under him after the 2022-23 season, when he recorded 16 points, a plus-four, and 65 penalty minutes in 43 games.
That performance prompted a move to bigger shoes for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Aspirot stepped up as a top-four option for the Wranglers and set career-highs in points (33) and penalty minutes (80) through his first 66 games with the club. He continued to make a mark through last season, when he racked up 29 points and 54 penalty minutes in 65 games in Calgary. Once again, his strong showing pushed Aspirot into a bigger role with a new team, this time on a deal with the Providence Bruins signed last summer. Hopes were high for the 6-foot, 212-pound defenseman and he answered the bell, netting three points and four penalty minutes in his first five games with Providence.
That was enough to earn a call-up to the Bruins – only the second NHL call-up of his career, after a call-up to the Flames in 2024 that resulted in no games played. This time, Aspirot made sure the move would stick. He has appeared in 25 of Boston’s 35 games since being recalled and even earned time on a pairing with star defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Aspirot’s career is taking off at the age of 26. Boston will keep that momentum rolling for the undrafted free agent, locking him into a cost-effective deal through the 2027-28 season.
Elias Lindholm Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury
- Despite putting up a 10-spot on the New York Rangers earlier today, the Boston Bruins had a few higher-level forwards leave relatively early into the contest. In separate announcements, the Bruins shared that Elias Lindholm had exited the contest with a lower-body injury, and Morgan Geekie departed to attend to a family matter. Despite leaving the game with an injury after 12:05 of ice time, Lindholm finished the contest with two assists.
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Boston Bruins Activate Henri Jokiharju
The Boston Bruins announced today that defenseman Henri Jokiharju has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Bruins placed blueliner Hampus Lindholm on IR.
Per team reporter Belle Fraser, Jokiharju was a full participant in Bruins practice yesterday, indicating that a full return to the lineup was near. Jokiharju has been out since Nov. 28 with an undisclosed injury, an absence that cost him 16 games.
Jokiharju has 25 games played this season and has scored six points. When healthy, he’s Boston’s No. 5 defenseman, 17:23 time on ice per game including around a minute per game on each special teams unit. The 26-year-old is likely to slot into Boston’s second pairing tonight against the Kraken.
Replacing Jokiharju on IR is Lindholm, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury. There hasn’t been much detail provided on Lindholm’s injury, both regarding what the ailment actually is, or what kind of recovery timeline Lindholm faces. But by virtue of being placed on IR today, he’ll miss at least a week.
If Lindholm’s absence proves to be an extended one, the Bruins would be left without one of their most important defensemen. Lindholm is Boston’s No. 2 blueliner behind Charlie McAvoy, averaging 22:10 time on ice per game including second-unit power play duties and first-unit penalty kill deployment.
While he’s still heavily relied-upon by head coach Marco Sturm, Lindholm has had to navigate choppy waters the last few years. He missed most of last season with an injury, and saw his offensive production drop from 53 points in 2022-23 to just 26 in 2023-24. He had 14 points in 34 games this season before his injury. Lindholm is under contract through 2029-30 at a $6.5MM annual cap hit.
Lassi Lehti Generating NHL Interest
According to Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal, netminder for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Lassi Lehti is generating interest from some NHL clubs. Divver added that the Boston Bruins are currently scouting the 24-year-old goaltender.
Unlike some other upcoming collegiate free agents, NHL teams likely won’t have to wait until April to entice Lehti to sign. Although the Espoo, Finland native is having a quality campaign, the Nanooks are having a brutal campaign and aren’t expected to qualify for the National tournament, barring an unexpected run.
Still, the Nanooks’ 4-10-1 record has little to do with Lehti. The senior has appeared in 11 of those contests, managing a .921 SV% and 2.59 GAA. Last season, as the team’s backup, Lehti finished with a .924 SV% and 2.04 GAA. Although he was only a backup last season, that’s an impressive 24-game run.
Unfortunately, given the length that it typically takes goaltenders to develop, it may be too little too late for Lehti. He was eligible to be selected in the 2019 NHL Draft, and waited until the 2022-23 NCAA season to begin his collegiate career. Although he’s not considered in the same tier, Lehti is older than Jesper Wallstedt and Yaroslav Askarov, both of whom are already fully entrenched in their NHL careers.
Regardless, if he keeps producing at the same level through the end of the campaign with the University of Alaska, there will likely be a team willing to give him a chance. If he’s set on playing professionally, Lehti could immediately step into the starter’s crease for an ECHL team or serve as a backup with a lower-level AHL team.