The Boston Bruins kick off their 2023-24 regular season on Oct. 11 against the Chicago Blackhawks in a must-watch Original Six contest. Due to the regular season being just about here, the Bruins announced their official Opening Night roster. Players like Matthew Poitras, Johnny Beecher, and Ian Mitchell are a few Bruins who earned roster spots because of their strong preseason play. However, there are still some other players who did not make the club which fans should keep a very close eye on this season. Let’s discuss three of them now.
Mason Lohrei
Mason Lohrei stuck with the Bruins’ NHL roster all the way until Monday night (Oct. 9), as the left-shot defenseman was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL). Although Lohrei had a fantastic preseason and looks close to being NHL-ready, there just is not a fit for him on their NHL roster currently. The Bruins’ left side is set with Matt Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, and Derek Forbort. Meanwhile, Kevin Shattenkirk will be the club’s bottom-pairing defenseman on the right side. Thus, it would not have made sense to have Lohrei be the seventh or eighth defenseman. The kid needs to consistently play to further his development.
Lohrei, 22, is set to start the season with Providence and will receive big-time minutes. He is clearly the AHL squad’s top left-shot defenseman, and he should see time on both their power play and penalty kill because of it. If he has a strong start to the season, he should be in line for a call-up. This is especially so if the Bruins deal with injury trouble and/or other defensemen struggle out of the gate.
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Lohrei is gearing up for his first full professional season. He appeared in five games with Providence last season following his collegiate career, posting one assist. With Ohio State University last season, he had four goals and 32 points. Look for him to translate some of that offensive production to the AHL.
Brandon Bussi
Brandon Bussi was another bright spot during the Bruins’ preseason. The 25-year-old goaltender notably put together a 29-save shutout against the New York Rangers, and that naturally caused some early preseason excitement from Bruins fans. However, with the Bruins already having an elite tandem in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, his demotion to the AHL was a foregone conclusion. That does not mean that we should not watch him closely this season, however.
Bussi was fantastic for Providence during his first full season with the club, and the truth is in his stats. In 32 appearances, the New York native posted an impressive 22-5-4 record, a .924 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.40 goals-against average (GAA). His strong campaign also resulted in him being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team and Atlantic Division All-Star Team. Now, Bussi will be looking to build off this in 2023-24, and he surely has the potential to.
Although the Bruins have their Ullmark/Swayman tandem now, one has to wonder if they will break it up to improve their roster elsewhere in the future. Another impressive season from Bussi could lead to the Bruins seriously considering for the backup role as soon as next season.
Fabian Lysell
Fabian Lysell was not particularly impressive during the preseason for the Bruins. As a result, he received his demotion to the AHL fairly early. Although it was a frustrating preseason for the 2021 first-round pick, the regular season offers a clean slate, and he will be looking to make a big impact for Providence.
The 2023-24 season is a big year for Lysell. The Bruins will be expecting him to take a major step forward in his development, as he is one of the club’s top prospects. Providence will also surely put him in a position to succeed, as he is set to play in their top six and receive plenty of power-play time. If his production starts to improve at the AHL from this, he should receive consideration for a call-up during the season.
Lysell had his ups and downs during his full first AHL season in 2022-23, but his offensive numbers were still solid. In 54 games, the 5-foot-10 winger posted 14 goals to go along with 37 points. Let’s see if his production increases this season, as he is now more acclimated to the AHL level.
Some other Bruins roster cuts who we should keep an eye on from here include Georgii Merkulov, Brett Harrison, Marc McLaughlin, and Frederic Brunet. It will be fun to see how all of these players perform in 2023-24 and if any of them get called up to the NHL squad during the year. Time will tell on that front.
