The Boston Bruins have made another round of cuts, bringing their roster down to the 23 active players who will count toward Monday’s deadline.
On Sunday afternoon, the Bruins placed Henri Jokiharju on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Providence Bruins. They also assigned Dans Locmelis and Riley Duran to the Providence Bruins and announced that Jake Schmaltz will report to Providence Bruins training camp.
Matt Poitras is also heading to injured reserve due to his injury on Sept. 22. He will not count against the 23-man roster limit while on IR.
Jokiharju was acquired for a fourth-round pick in the shuffle of the 2025 trade deadline. After a solid 18 games alongside Nikita Zadorov, he signed a three-year extension worth $9 million in June 2025. Then he fell out of favor on a crowded blue line.
He played in 41 of the Bruins’ 82 games last season, finishing with 15 points (2-13–15). However, he only dressed for 16 of the Bruins’ last 40 games after recovering from an undisclosed injury sustained in November. After the season, Don Sweeney noted the inconsistencies in Jokiharju’s game, and he did not do enough this preseason to warrant a spot in the NHL lineup.
If he clears waivers, the Bruins are on the hook for $1.775 million of Jokiharju’s $3 million cap hit. Jokiharju has not played in the AHL since the 2018-19 regular season when he was a member of the Rockford IceHogs.
Locmelis, a fourth-round (No. 119) pick in the 2022 Draft, is entering his second full pro season. He tallied 28 points (15-13–28) in 43 games with Providence last season before undergoing surgery in March. He also represented Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympics and scored twice in four games.
Locmelis is fully healthy and made a lasting impression throughout the preseason. With Poitras’ injury, he had an extended look with the NHL roster, and after the third preseason game, he said the coaching staff has “been happy with my game so far.” He skated alongside Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont throughout camp, played in three of the four preseason games, and played in both Prospects Showcase games.
Duran, a sixth-round pick (No. 182) in the 2020 Draft, is entering his fourth season with the Providence Bruins. He finished last season with a career-high 19 points (7-12–19), and his plus-19 rating ranked fourth among all Providence skaters.
The Woburn native has two NHL games under his belt, both coming at the end of the 2024-25 season. He played in two of the four preseason games and just one of the Prospects Showcase games.
Schmaltz, a seventh-round pick (No. 192) in the 2019 Draft, also joined the team for the rookie camp and Prospects Showcase before dressing for two preseason games. Last year, he recorded 23 points (9-14–23) during his first full season in Providence.
Schmaltz is under contract with the Providence Bruins. In January, Schmaltz signed a two-year extension, which keeps him in Providence through the 2027-28 season.
Matt Poitras left practice early on Sept. 22, and the next day, Marco Sturm said he was “day-to-day” with a lower-body injury. On Sunday, Sturm said Poitras “feels better every day.” Poitras dressed for one preseason game and centered the third line with Attilio Biasca and Lukas Reichel. The line finished with an 11-2 Corsi differential, a 7-1 shots differential, 0.51 expected goals for and 0.01 expected goals against. They led the Bruins in all four categories.
Poitras also won the offensive-zone faceoff to set up Charlie McAvoy’s game-tying goal.
Alex Steeves and Lukas Reichel both cleared waivers and will report to Providence.
The Bruins now have 23 players remaining on their active roster, including 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies; Poitras does not count towards the roster limit while on IR. They open the regular season Tuesday against the New York Rangers at 8:00 PM.
And yes, James Hagens and Frederic Brunet both made the team.
NHL teams must submit their 23-man roster by 5:00 PM ET Monday. Sunday at 2:00 PM was the latest teams could waive players in order for them to clear before Monday’s roster deadline.
