Ethan Del Mastro just gave Marco Sturm a blue-line option Boston should not ignore.

Boston's retool is not only about finding more offense. The Bruins also need more bite and better puck movement on the back end, and that is why Del Mastro and Ville Heinola both make sense.

Del Mastro brings the heavier style. He played 19 NHL games for Chicago this season, threw 19 hits, and averaged 14:08 a night, which fits the kind of harder edge Boston has been missing.

That part matters in Boston because the Bruins finished 45-27-10 for 100 points, but they still looked like a team missing some push on the blue line once the games tightened up.

“It'll be interesting to see what Davidson does here. I do think Del Mastro is likely the odd man out to start the season,” (from ‘The Blackhawks have tough decisions ahead on Kevin Korchinski and their young defense,' The Athletic, 06/01/2026).

Del Mastro also is not only a hitter. Across 45 NHL games, he has 7 points and a 16:33 average ice time, which says teams already trust him with real minutes.

The contract angle is part of it too. The Hockey Writers framed him as a possible odd man out in Chicago, and that is exactly the kind of spot Don Sweeney should be reading hard right now.

Boston can also attack this from the other side with Heinola. He is the cleaner puck mover of the two, and his profile hits a different need in Sturm's lineup.

An undersized offense-minded defenseman with top-four upside who can run a powerplay unit. An excellent skater, but needs to get stronger to improve in the defensive zone.

The Bruins may have just found their next blue-line steal

Heinola played only 5 NHL games for Winnipeg this season, but he also posted 6 points in 10 world championship games for Finland, which is the kind of recent flash that can change a market fast.

His NHL body of work is still small at 58 games and 12 points. But the AHL line is stronger at 124 points in 198 games, and that is where Boston could see a cheap top-four bet worth making.

The Bruins do need that kind of bet. Charlie McAvoy is still their anchor, yet the team's retool only works if the club finds more than one answer behind him on the blue line.

Del Mastro would give Boston more edge in board battles and net-front shifts. Heinola would give it a left-shot option with more skill on exits and on a second power-play look.

That is why this is a smart retool lane. Boston does not need to swing only at expensive veterans when there are younger defensemen sitting in harder roster squeezes elsewhere.

If Sweeney wants this retool to move faster, Ethan Del Mastro and Ville Heinola are exactly the kind of names worth chasing now.

Source : Bruins Need to Target 2 Key Prospects for the Blue Line and the Retool