Bruins prospect Frederic Brunet could be ready to push for roster spot in camp
Boston Bruins
“He’s ready to go, mentally, physically, his skill set, he’s an NHL player.”
In the days leading up to the busiest stretch of the NHL offseason, Bruins GM Don Sweeney didn’t just harp on Boston’s hopes of bolstering its lineup via free agency or trades.
If a retooling Boston roster wants to take another major step forward in 2026-27, it’s going to need an influx of young talent to shore up roster spots and support established talent like David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman.
Plenty of that sentiment might be rooted in young forwards like James Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov.
But, Sweeney also made sure to offer up a stick tap for Frederic Brunet, a 23-year-old Providence blueliner who could make a push for NHL reps this fall.
“I think he’s put himself on our radar now to really push for an NHL opportunity,” Sweeney said of Brunet in June. “He’s had one game [in the NHL], but you see his game continue to grow. He’s rounded out defensively. He values that part of the game, whereas before him when we first got him, it was go, go, go. I’m a transporter.
“But now we like the aggressiveness of the offensive blue line. You know, you see the league has certainly incorporated defense, especially the way teams play. Like, you have to have your defense involved and mobile enough, and he brings some of those attributes. He’s been on a power play in Providence. That remains to be seen whether or not that will translate directly. But the mobility and his willingness to get up the ice and be involved, I think, is a real asset.”
There’s a lot to like about what Brunet could offer Boston in the pro ranks, especially after a few encouraging seasons against AHL competition.
On a Bruins blue line that could use some fresher legs and playmaking upside, Brunet fits the bill as a puck-moving regular with good size (6-foot-3) and a willingness to pepper goalies with shots from the point.
An offensive defenseman out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the 2022 fifth-round pick has rounded out his game since joining Boston’s organization, shifting that aggressiveness in the offensive zone into a more refined puck-moving approach.
Brunet’s play this past season in Providence (12 goals, 36 points in 65 games) drew high marks from new P-Bruins head coach Trent Whitfield, who has been a witness to Brunet’s growth over the youngster’s last three seasons in the AHL.
“Last year he took huge strides and was probably our best defenseman from day one right through the end of the season,” Whitfield said in July. “He’s well on his way. Now he just needs a little bit of runway in Boston… He’s ready to go, mentally, physically, his skill set, he’s an NHL player.”
Brunet might be an NHL player at this stage of his development. But, will there be an NHL spot in Boston for him this fall?
As much as the Bruins would seemingly welcome Brunet seizing a roster spot during an abbreviated training camp and four-game preseason slate, the Quebec native is also staring at a steep uphill climb on Boston’s depth chart.
At the start of camp, it’s safe to assume four of Boston’s six starting spots on the blue line will be occupied by Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Will Borgen.
That leaves two spots left for Brunet … and Connor Clifton, Mason Lohrei, Henri Jokiharju, Jonathan Aspirot, and Jordan Harris.
Something’s got to give with that current logjam, with a trade still seeming like a viable option to whittle down that grouping before the regular seasons. Still, Brunet is going to have to make a concerted effort to unseat several NHLers this fall.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Brunet is no longer exempt from waivers, so if he doesn’t make the cut this fall and gets sent back to Providence, Boston runs the risk of losing him for nothing if another team plucks him off the waiver wire. It would be a poor bit of asset management from Boston if a prospect they’ve seemingly primed for a shot at the NHL heads elsewhere right as he reaches the doorstep.
As such, the Bruins should give a player like Brunet every opportunity to earn a spot this month, with his pass-first approach and proficiency in breakouts and overall transition potentially making life easier for a D partner like McAvoy or Zadorov.
The Bruins would be wise to at least clear up some of the mass of blue-liners currently bunched near the end of their depth chart. But, the onus is also going to fall on Brunet himself to validate the belief that he’s ready for a shot at hockey’s highest level.
“I’m going to focus on being reliable, and making some good plays, getting out of my zone and stuff,” Brunet said on NESN’s “The Hockey Hub” this week. But offensively, I’m sure I could do, like let’s say I get my opportunities, I think I could be a really good player on the rush and joining the rush with the forwards when the opportunity presents itself.”
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