New Bruins Defender Henri Jokiharju Has Golden Opportunity

The Boston Bruins made several moves at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline that completely changed their roster. This included trading several former core players like Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic.

While the Bruins did a ton of selling leading up to the deadline, they also quietly acquired defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. With the Bruins trading Carlo, they needed another right-shot defenseman, so bringing in Jokiharju for more depth was understandable. 

Now, after being acquired by the Bruins, Jokiharju's goal will be to try to prove to the Bruins that he is somebody they should keep around beyond this season. The 25-year-old blueliner is a pending unrestricted free agent, but if he impresses, it could lead to the Bruins wanting to extend him.

Jokiharju revealed that he wanted a change of scenery from the Sabres, and he has now gotten a golden opportunity with this trade to the Bruins. With Boston trading Carlo and Charlie McAvoy out indefinitely, Jokiharju should have a significant role on the Bruins' right side.

This was evident during the Bruins' last game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jokiharju was not only the top pairing with Nikita Zadorov but also slotted on the Bruins' second power play unit. With this, he had 18:38 of ice time, which is over two minutes more than his average with Buffalo was this campaign.

It will be interesting to see how Jokiharju performs after getting this much-needed fresh start with the Bruins. In 43 games this season, he has three goals, six points, 35 hits, and a plus-6 rating.