Bruins have officially freed up a contract spot

It's not going to be a headline-stealing move of any sort, but Don Sweeney and the Bruins officially freed up a contract spot late last week with a mutually-agreed upon contract termination involving defenseman Victor Berglund.

Berglund, a 6-foot-1 right-shooting defenseman, had appeared in five games with the P-Bruins this season prior to his contract termination, which became official after he was placed on unconditional waivers.

Berglund didn't need to wait long to find his next stop, either, as the 23-year-old inked a deal with Finland's HIFK. The European market for Berglund was hot, too, according to HIFK general manager Tobias Salmelainen.

Drafted with the No. 195 overall pick in 2017, the Swedish-born Berglund appeared in 55 games with Providence over three seasons, with seven goals and 21 points over that span. Berglund also made three appearances for ECHL Maine during his time on North American ice, with one goal and four points for the Mariners.

In addition to his pro run with the Bruins, Berglund appeared in 151 games for MODO in Sweden’s second-tier of pro hockey, and appeared in 50 games for Lulea HF in Sweden’s top professional league during the 2020-21 season.

In the grand scheme of things, the loss of Berglund is not a franchise-altering move. Berglund was in the last year of his entry-level deal, and it seemed unlikely that he was going to remain with the organization beyond this season, be it by way of a qualifying offer from the team or his own desire to remain in the North American minors.

But it does give the Bruins some much-needed help, and drops the Bruins down to 47 contracts on their books. (NHL teams are only allowed to have 50 contracts on their books at a time, in case you were curious.)

That, with the disastrous Mitchell Miller signing still on the Bruins' books and with a resolution on that front unlikely to come between now and the trade deadline, is a huge help to Don Sweeney & Co. in the now.

And while your eyes will pop with the idea of utilizing that freed-up spot for a deadline addition, the most logical move may come in house with the signing of Luke Toporowski to an NHL deal.

Currently with the organization on a two-year, minor-league deal after a strong career in the WHL (96 goals and 199 points in 245 games between Spokane and Kamloops), the 5-foot-11 Toporowski wowed in rookie camp, and raised some eyebrows (in a good way) with his limited showings in training camp.

He's since put up nine goals and 18 points in 23 games with the P-Bruins, with his nine goals ranking third among all AHL rookies, while his 18 points are the fourth-most among first-year AHLers.

A move to sign Toporowski to an NHL contract before another potential team swoops in with an NHL offer (which can happen, believe it or not) may be the go-to move, too, according to a thread from P-Bruins insider Mark Divver.

In the now, however, Berglund's departure doesn't do much to change the Black and Gold's ability to reach into their minor-league ranks for reinforcements if and when necessary, as the Bruins have eight defensemen on NHL contracts and available for recall from Providence.

That list includes notable NHL defensemen and 2022-23 skaters Mike Reilly and Anton Stralman, as well as 'deeper' options such as Jack Ahcan, Michael Callahan, Connor Carrick, Dan Renouf, Kai Wissmann, and Nick Wolff.