Bruins acquire defenseman from Sabres

Much of what Bruins general manager Don Sweeney did on Friday was understandbly focused on the future of the Bruins, with multiple long-time fixtures of his club traded out of town.

But with another month-plus of hockey still to be played, the Bruins still have a team to ice in the now, and addressed that with the addition of defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Sabres in exchange for the 2026 fourth-round pick the Bruins acquired in the Trent Frederic trade earlier this week.

A 25-year-old, right-shot defender, Jokiharju comes to the Bruins organization after six seasons with Buffalo, and in the midst of a campaign that's featured three goals and six points in 42 games. The Finnish-born blue liner has also posted a plus-6 rating, along with 31 blocks and 35 hits.

The Bruins' decision to add Jokiharju, who is a pending unrestricted free agent in the final year of a contract that comes with a $3.1 million cap hit, came on the heels of the Bruins trading Brandon Carlo to the Maple Leafs at the deadline Friday and with Jordan Oesterle claimed off waivers on Thursday.

It's entirely possible that Jokiharju is mere roster filler with the Bruins currently short on legitimate NHL defensemen (particularly on the right side), but this could also be a player that the Bruins want to get a look at down the stretch and see if he's a long-term fit, especially after a 2023-24 season that included a career-high 20 points and plus-14 rating for the Sabres. Jokiharju's plus-14 was the top plus-minus among all Sabres last year, and in addition to the career-highs in points and plus-minus, the 2017 first-round also set single-season highs in hits (92) and blocked shots (106) for Buffalo.

With Carlo trade and with both Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy still out of action, the Bruins are left with just six defensemen on their roster if you include Jokiharju, meaning that he is almost certain to make his Bruins debut when the B's face the Lightning on Saturday afternoon.