By: Chris Nosek

Nikita Zadorov

Grade: B

Zadorov did not have a great start to the season and yes he took far too many penalties. Due to the early injury to Hampus Lindholm, Zadorov was forced into situations he wasn’t supposed to be in. He was chasing the game a lot this season and was already under the officiating microscope. These factors certainly contributed to his amount of time in the box. He also showed great leadership off the ice and his game certainly improved a lot down the stretch. His season was far from perfect, but the way it ended was far better than how it started despite being thrust into the deep end the way he was.

Mason Lohrei

Grade: B-

The most affected by the injury to Hampus Lindholm had to be Mason Lorhei. He got thrust into lineup roles he shouldn’t have been in with top four minutes that he shouldn’t have been expected to play in. He became relied upon to be a top pairing defenseman, a role for which he just isn’t ready for yet. However, despite the rough spots he was put in, overall he played quite well. He will be a much better player in the long-run because of all the extra minutes he got in situations he wouldn’t normally have been put in. His plus/minus will be focused on a lot, but that’s just an excuse to bash on him.

Andrew Peeke

Grade: B

Peeke was never brought in to be a point producer on the backend, so if you’re looking for a grade based on his point total, go somewhere else. He’s a solid shot blocker who dishes out hits and he does that role well. Ideally he would have remained on the third pair, but instead was forced to step up more because of the McAvoy injury and Carlo trade. He became your top defender on the right side until Henri Jokiharju was brought in. He can be a solid shutdown defenseman going forward and he showed that this season – he just needs to be slotted in the lineup properly.

Brandon Carlo

*Grade: A-

Always the consummate professional, Carlo was also elevated in his defensive role. He spent much of his time in Boston this season making sure there was defensive structure to allow Mason Lohrei freedom to work with in the offensive zone or being partnered with Nikita Zadorov as he was trying to acclimate to a new system (his fifth in one calendar year). Carlo never been, and never will be, a defenseman who stands out on the stat sheet or for laying massive hits, but overall he played his game and was a top defenseman for this team. He started slow like everyone else, but found his game while he was here.

*Carlo was traded at the deadline to Toronto for Fraser Minten, a 4th round pick in the 2025 draft, and a 1st round pick in the 2026 draft that is top 5 protected. He has continued to play well for Toronto since his arrival, and the return for him was solid as the Bruins look to reload and get younger.

Parker Wotherspoon

Grade: B-

Wotherspoon was thrust into positions he has never been in before, like all the other defenseman this season, and probably shouldn’t have been put in. This season he got a massive chance to show his best capabilities and he performed “fine.” He’s entering what should be the prime of his career as a defenseman and he showed some great promise. He did still leave you wanting more from him though. He underperformed for a defenseman who falls between 3rd and 5th on your depth chart, but considering he should be a 7th defenseman his performance, given his elevation in the lineup, was actually underrated.

Charlie McAvoy

Grade: B

Similar in theme to so many others on the team, McAvoy struggled early in the season. He was starting to find his game and really started to thrive as the team headed into the break for the 4 Nations Face Off. Unfortunately, during the tournament he suffered a shoulder injury that would end his season. All season he showed great leadership and a positive attitude both on and off the ice and despite his injury his presence in the locker room was felt in a big way when he returned to skating with the team. He is here for a long time going forward and will be a key guy in the leadership group as he need to help push players to be better each day.

*Jordan Oesterle

Grade: A

Jordan Osterle was brought in to be a veteran defenseman to help the young guys in Providence and provide some depth at the NHL level in case of injury. He spent 9 games in Providence doing just that while producing offensively, however he was called up because of the Hampus Lindholm injury. Upon his call-up, he was played more per game than each of his past two seasons and while many of the fanbase want to find fault with his game, he too was playing in positions he shouldn’t have been put in. He helped the power play when he was on it, and they certainly could have used him down the stretch.

*Oesterle was claimed off waivers by Nashville as Boston was trying to get their roster back into compliance as players were starting to get healthy. Nashville was suffering through numerous injuries on their own blue line and Oesterle ended up being a serviceable second pair defenseman for them.

Henri Jokiharju

Grade: B-

Acquired from Buffalo for 4th round pick in the 2026 entry draft, Jokiharju became a veteran NHL presence to go with Andrew Peeke on the right side of the defense to close out the season. He spent most of his time paired with Nikita Zadorov and the two worked quite well together. Jokiharju played very well during his 18 games in Boston, but definitely had moments where he could have been better. Given the teams situation on the right side with McAvoy returning and Carlo now in Toronto, it’ll be very interesting to see whether or not his 18 game sample size was enough for the front office to re-sign him.

Hampus Lindholm

Grade: A

He was by far their best player to start the season and was heavily relied upon as a top defender. He only played 17 games, but he played a key role in keeping the team from falling too far out of the playoff race with how slow the team started the year. His absence was felt in spades after he broke his knee-cap. He tried pushing himself to come back while the team was still in contention, but his knee just wasn’t ready. Once the team picked their direction for the trade deadline he was able to slow his rehab for the long-term. He’s shown great leadership on and off the ice since he’s been here plus a willingness to work with younger players going forward. He was great in his short sample size.

Michael Callahan

Grade: B

Back in February of 2022, Don Sweeney dealt a 7th round selection in the 2024 draft for the rights to sign Callahan out of the NCAA. He got 17 games this season and while he only put up a single goal, he was exactly what you would hoped to see from him. While he isn’t going to drive an NHL pairing, he can compliment a more offensive minded partner in a similar fashion to Carlo (but not to the same level). It’s clear he too was in over his head frequently this season, but he still did better than many would have expected so overall, he grades out fairly well.

Ian Mitchell

Grade: B-

Mitchell’s grade comes more from his 47 games in Providence than his 15 in Boston. If not for the injuries and trade deadline, Mitchell would (and should) have spent the entire season in Providence. With the AHL club he is one of the top defensemen and thrives at helping drive play. He was a more veteran option for the team to call up when the team needed some additional puck movement from the backend, but he still makes a lot of mistakes at the NHL level. You want to see him level that off. He will likely always leave Boston fans wanting more, but that doesn’t knock what he did down in Providence or the value he can bring to helping develop some of the younger players coming through the system.

Frederic Brunet

Grade: A-

Brunet gets a solid grade because he took some big step forward in his development. He played 69 games for Providence this season which was just his second full professional season. He got a single game at the NHL level and held his own. Overall, he’s shown he can move the puck well and isn’t afraid to shoot. For a 5th round pick to show the jump Brunet made in his game this season, it was definitely a successful year for him. Hopefully he continues to trend in right direction and will be able to consistently contribute in Boston in the near future.