Reports: Bruins Looking for Henri Jokiharju Trade Partner

The Boston Bruins have only played one game, but they are already looking for a trade partner.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday that Don Sweeney and the Bruins’ front office are looking for a team to take on Henri Jokiharju. This follows a previous report from RG’s Jimmy Murphy that said the Bruins were willing to move on from the 27-year-old right-shot defenseman.

“Boston is trying to find a new home for Henri Jokiharju, who cleared waivers,” Friedman wrote.

Jokiharju was the last player the Bruins placed on waivers during training camp. He cleared on Monday afternoon, just three hours before the roster deadline, and he was assigned to the Providence Bruins. He has not played an AHL game since April 14, 2019, when he was a member of the Rockford IceHogs.

Since his last AHL stint, Jokiharju has played in 410 NHL games with Buffalo and Boston, with 59 of those coming in a black and gold sweater. Including his 38-game stint with Chicago, he has 448 career NHL games on his resume, and he got his first taste of playoff hockey during the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Jokiharju was one of two waiver-eligible defensemen to be waived, and he’s one of two Bruins in Providence with a buried salary cap penalty and multiple years left on a one-way deal. At the season-opening press conference, GM Don Sweeney did not apologize for the Bruins’ depth, which ultimately bumped Jokiharju from the NHL roster.

“It’s a competitive industry, and you have to maintain that roster spot. In the case of both players, we had younger guys that, in a shortened camp environment, we’re excited to see and see how that translates,” Sweeney said Monday. “And Joki, … we referenced that Freddy (Brunet) was part of our decision-making process and how he would handle training camp and his opportunity. And some of that has played out as we thought, so we’re not going to apologize for the depth part of where we’re at because I think it’s going to get tested.”

Jokiharju dressed for half of the Bruins’ 82 games last season. He missed the entire month of December with an undisclosed injury, and when he returned in January, he played in just 16 of the Bruins’ last 40 games.

After returning from his injury, he scored nine (2-7–9) of his 15 points (2-13–15), which included his first two goals in a Bruins sweater. However, the writing was on the wall: Jokiharju was not a fit in Marco Sturm‘s defensive structure.

After last season, Sweeney noted Jokiharju’s ability to bounce back and fit into the lineup, but also acknowledged his game can be inconsistent at times.

“A lot of times Henri came back in the lineup and his first game was really good, and maybe it drops off a little bit,” Sweeney said. “From a capable standpoint, a lot of it’s still on the player to be able to provide what the coach is looking for and adjust. And then the coach has to reset. If he does that, you’ve got to give him a little rope to allow it to play out.”

“Doesn’t mean we lose confidence in the player. Players sometimes lose confidence in themselves, and you’ve got to battle that back,” he added. “I don’t think it’s argument-based at all. I think it’s just a matter of what players provide on that night. Marco believes it’s the best lineup we can put together.”

Don Sweeney on Henri Jokiharju: “To me, it’s allowing coach to make his own assessments of how players are playing systematically. And on Henri to respond to that. There are times he did really well, and a lot of times Henri came back into the lineup, and his first game was… pic.twitter.com/B0HjT6WE0e

— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) May 6, 2026

Don Sweeney on Henri Jokiharju: “To me, it’s allowing coach to make his own assessments of how players are playing systematically. And on Henri to respond to that. There are times he did really well, and a lot of times Henri came back into the lineup, and his first game was… pic.twitter.com/B0HjT6WE0e

— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) May 6, 2026

Jokiharju is entering the second year of a three-year deal worth $9 million. A similar situation happened with former Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly, who also signed a three-year deal worth $9 million. He played 36 games in Providence during his second season compared to 10 in Boston, and Don Sweeney utilized a buyout on the final year of the deal.

Right-shot defensemen are less common throughout the NHL, which makes them more valuable on the open market. However, Jokiharju was already exposed to the other 31 teams in the league, and nobody picked up the Olympian, meaning his $3 million cap hit could complicate any potential trade.

The Bruins bolstered their right side of the blue line, bringing in two players who made the roster over the 27-year-old Jokiharju, and now they are looking for a way out of the remaining two years of his deal.
Matt Poitras

Jokiharju might not be the only Bruin on the move this early into the season. Friedman also reported that teams are monitoring the Bruins’ situation with Matt Poitras, who remains on injured reserve.

“There are teams curious to see what they do with Matthew Poitras, who avoided [waivers] for the time being,” Friedman also reported. “Can’t imagine he’d slide through.”

The 22-year-old center suffered a lower-body injury at training camp shortly after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Bruins on the day the team reported. Afterward, Marco Sturm said the injury makes things more difficult for Poitras, but not so much for the coaching staff.

Matt Poitras is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He was hurt on Tuesday.

Sturm says it doesn’t complicate things for him, but it’s not easy on Poitras:

“Not for me, but for him, for sure. These kind of short camps, you want to show, you want to deliver. You want to prove… pic.twitter.com/endUnUWLtE

— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) September 23, 2026

Matt Poitras is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He was hurt on Tuesday.

Sturm says it doesn’t complicate things for him, but it’s not easy on Poitras:

“Not for me, but for him, for sure. These kind of short camps, you want to show, you want to deliver. You want to prove… pic.twitter.com/endUnUWLtE

— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) September 23, 2026

It now seems like it might be something to monitor, especially with other teams keeping tabs on how the Bruins handle his situation.

Don Sweeney did not commit to a timetable for Poitras’ return to the lineup when he spoke Monday, but said he will get an opportunity with the NHL club.