Resetting Bruins right-side defensive depth chart after trade with Chicago

The Bruins have a lot of work to do this offseason.

And while there's no shortage of needs to be addressed by general manager Don Sweeney, the Black and Gold's lack of viable depth on the right side of their defense is something that has gone a little under the radar. (When you struggled to score the way the Bruins did a year ago, that's to be expected.)

You saw the way that the Bruins' right-side depth was tested in what an injury-riddled, lost season for Charlie McAvoy, and the Brandon Carlo trade at the deadline only intensified that, with countless lefty-shooting defenders forced to move to their off side for Joe Sacco's squad.

The Bruins did take a step to address those depth issues Friday with a trade with the Blackhawks, but as Boston's updated right-side depth chart can confirm, there's still plenty of work to be done and additions to be made at the position between now and the start of training camp in September.

But between now and then — with a free-agent set to feature Aaron Ekblad, Brent Burns, and Dante Fabbro as the notable right-shot options — let's take an updated look at what the Bruins currently possess at the position.

After a year of stop-and-start season in terms of his availability on the ice, headlined by a 4 Nations Face-Off injury that ended his season, Charlie McAvoy is expected to be ready to go for the start of training camp and given a clean bill of health to start the 2025-26 campaign.

In action for 50 games last season, McAvoy put up seven goals and 23 points, along with 89 hits and 81 blocked shots. At this point in his career, the Bruins would love it if McAvoy could be the rock for a partner like Mason Lohrei, but it'll be interesting to see if the Bruins revisit the idea of putting Nikita Zadorov to his left or going for the super-pairing with Hampus Lindholm to his left.

Either way, McAvoy is expected to be the rock on Boston's right side and for their defense as a whole as a three-zone threat.

Acquired from Columbus at the 2024 trade deadline, Andrew Peeke is slated to enter his second full season as a Bruin riding off the high of a career-best 16 assists and 17 points in 76 games for Boston in 2024-25. It's also a contract year for the Florida-born righty, as he entering the final year of a deal that comes with a highly-affordable $2.75 million cap hit.

If the Bruins do not make a move for extra help, Peeke is lightly to project as the in-house replacement for Carlo and as Boston's second-pairing option on the right side. That may very well be the spot that Peeke wants in a contract year and with a potential payday around the corner, but whether or not that's best for the Bruins is a legitimate question to ask as the team looks to bolster their defensive structure, identity, and play after a horrid year on that front.

Acquired from the Blackhawks on Friday, whether or not Victor Soderstrom opts to return to the NHL remains up in the air.

After making it clear that he wouldn't play in Utah following the Coyotes' move out of Arizona, the 24-year-old Soderstrom opted to return to Sweden and play for Brynas IF in an attempt to rediscover his love for the game of hockey. That apparently worked, and Soderstrom was open about his interest in returning to the NHL after Utah traded his rights to Chicago at the 2025 trade deadline.

But Soderstrom did sign a two-year contract in Sweden, so how he gets out of that and if this is the time to do it will be worth monitoring this offseason.

The 11th overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft, Soderstrom posted nine goals and 37 points in 49 games for Brynas IF last season, and has one goal and 11 points in 53 career NHL games (all with the Coyotes).

Another note: If Soderstrom does decide to leave Sweden and return to the NHL this offseason, the Bruins will need to hammer out a contract with his reps, as he is currently a restricted free agent.

A depth option who's done the I-95 shuffle between Boston and Providence and back again about a billion times (or at least it feels that way), Ian Mitchell remains a depth option on the fringes of the NHL roster.

In what was his second season in the Bruins organization, Mitchell had one assist and 23 blocks in 15 games for Boston during the 2024-25 season, and put up four goals and 27 points in 47 games for the P-Bruins.

Mitchell, originally acquired in the cap-dump trade that sent Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to Chicago in 2023, is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.

Another 'tweener' type, the 29-year-old Billy Sweezey is set to enter the second year of a two-year contract that comes with a $775,000 cap hit at the NHL level. On the ice for 64 games for Providence last season, the Hanson, Mass. native put up one goal and 10 points for Ryan Mougenel's squad.

Overall, Sweezey has made nine NHL appearances in his career, all with the Blue Jackets and during the 2022-23 season.

A throw-in In the trade that sent Trent Frederic to the Oilers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, the Bruins are still in the discovery process when it comes to Max Wanner. Still young (just 22 years old) and with physical tools most coaches love given his 6-foot-3 frame, Wanner (seemingly) finished his 2024-25 season on a high note with Providence, with three points and a plus-4 rating for Boston’s AHL affiliate after beginning his season with just two points in 22 games for AHL Bakersfield prior to the trade.

If we want to get technical here, Ty Gallagher is not part of the Bruins' depth chart, as he signed a minors-only contract with the club this spring. But after he ended his year with one goal and five points in 11 games for the P-Bruins, it's possible that Gallagher, drafted with a seventh-round pick in 2021, can continue to push the issue and essentially work his way into an NHL contract.

Prior to turning pro, Gallagher had a breakout campaign with Colorado College, posting nine goals and 26 points in 37 games for the club. Gallagher's 26 points were tied for the second-most among all skaters at CC, and he also added 62 blocked shots, which was fourth-most among all players in the NCHC.