A little over two months ago, it seemed almost certain that Mason Lohrei was about to become an ex-Bruin.
Trade rumors were swirling that the B’s, in desperate need for a right-shot defenseman, were in serious discussions to land veteran righty Rasmus Andersson from Calgary with the widely held belief that Lohrei was part of the package going back. The deal didn’t happen, mostly because Andersson didn’t want to sign an extension.
But instead of having that experience damage him, Lohrei’s game continued its steady growth from the first few weeks of the season. Those were very shaky days as he and his teammates learned Marco Sturm’s new defensive system. To start the season, he was in put in a position as Charlie McAvoy’s partner on the top pairing, something that Sturm admits was too much, too soon for him.
Since the trade chatter died down, the B’s did find themselves that right side D-man – Lohrei himself. He’s moved back into the top-four, playing with Hampus Lindholm, and in Saturday’s big win in Detroit, he made a big play at the blue line, keeping the puck in and making a deft pass to Morgan Geekie, who in turn connected with Elias Lindholm for the tying goal.
“(The move to the right side) helped him — and it moved him up, too. Don’t forget, I put him back because it was too much,” Sturm said. “Being on the first pair with Charlie, it was not fair to anyone, especially not him. So we put him back on a third pair. Now we built that foundation and we put him on the second pair because he can play the right side with no problem at all. So I don’t even see a difference with him playing left or right. That’s really nice to see.”
Sturm doesn’t yet look at the 25-year-old Lohrei as a finished product, nor as any kind of shutdown defenseman. With the B’s protecting a one-goal lead, his last shift ended with with 4:42 left on the clock. But Sturm is impressed with the strides Lohrei has made.
“I really like his development. He took from October to now, a huge difference. He took a lot of pride and it took a lot of work, too, to get better in those areas I want him to and, even on the right side, it’s been really good,” Sturm said. “Now the challenge is to be very consistent. He’s playing really good but I could see the last few games he was slipping a little bit. But those are the moments, it’s my job to keep those kids going and I think, with him, I can now. Good for him. I wasn’t sure which way he was going to go but he definitely took the right way. And that’s on him.”
In the world of analytics, the most pilloried stat is plus/minus. But there is no way to look at Lohrei’s league-worst minus-43 from last year as anything but bad, or that his plus-11 this season represents anything but a giant step forward for him.
“You learn from all your experiences for sure and I feel like I’ve gained confidence throughout everything, ups and downs,” Lohrei said. “You just learn how to navigate it and in this league it’s about being consistent and getting better day by day. I feel like I’m making progress and it’s a slow incline. I’m feeling confident and I know our team feels confident.”
The trade chatter didn’t really hit him until Saturday morning in Chicago on Jan. 17 when Nikita Zadorov, in big-brotherly concern, chatted him up.
“Z was like ‘How you doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Good?’” said Lohrei with a laugh.
With the trade talk still hot and heavy, Lohrei went out and scored two goals against the Blackhawks that night. The next day, the trade fell apart and he’s never looked back. But he looks more at the move to the right side as a big part of his improvement.
“I love playing the right. I played it in junior, I played it in college and I think that’s somewhat part of it. And I think another part of it is just continuing to grow and mature,” said the left-shot Lohrei. “The more games you get under your belt, the more experience you get and learn. I’ve been working with coaches and teammates and (Zdeno Chara). Just learning stuff and picking it up along the way. And the trade stuff, it’s just part of the game, part of the business.”
James Hagens, left breaks in on goaltender Albin Boija as the Bruins hold Development Camp at Warrior Ice Arena this past summer. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Hagens watch
As of Monday afternoon, the B’s had not yet come to terms with their prized prospect, Boston College’s James Hagens. But if it does come to pass and he joins the Boston roster, Sturm said he’ll find a way to make it work as the B’s continue their push to secure a playoff spot.
“It’s always a challenge for everyone. It depends too what kind of phase you’re in,” Sturm said. “The good thing with me, over the past, especially in Ontario (AHL), I always had college kids coming in. Maybe not Hagens quality, but they were college kids and they were going to play against men. It’s always a challenge. But I’m prepared. … I feel like in the league in general it’s part of the game now.”
Loose pucks
Tanner Jeannot skated in a red non-contact jersey Monday and Sturm said his availability for Tuesday’s game against Toronto will be determined Tuesday.
Sturm also had not yet made a decision on his starting goalie for Tuesday, the red-hot Jeremy Swayman or backup Joonas Korpisalo.