Latest news with #Jokiharju
New York Times
21-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins' priority in offseason rebuild: Speed at all positions
Heading into Thursday, Casey Mittelstadt, Henri Jokiharju, Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov had combined for 1,023 career NHL games. Brad Marchand has them beat on his own with 1,090. Add Charlie Coyle (937), Brandon Carlo (623), Trent Frederic (337) and Justin Brazeau (83), and it's clear the Boston Bruins are a far less experienced team now than before the trade deadline. Case in point: Jokiharju's next playoff appearance will be his first. It appears the former Buffalo Sabre will keep his streak alive. Advertisement The Bruins also said goodbye to size, strength, below-the-dots presence and strength on the puck. But Mittelstadt, Jokiharju, Lauko and Khusnutdinov are unquestionably faster and quicker than the players they replaced. Mittelstadt, in particular, is perhaps the most necessary upgrade — skill, tempo and creativity in the middle at the expense of Coyle's three-zone dependability. More speed is needed. Management entered 2024-25 with beef as a priority. They figured the Bruins would be a handful because of how they would forecheck, possess pucks, wear out opposing attackers and keep the ice clear in front of Jeremy Swayman. In retrospect, the Bruins' struggles highlighted the bosses' misjudgment: Their players could not get to pucks and places quickly enough. It remains a problem. Entering Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Bruins had been outshot three straight times. This included the Tampa Bay Lightning's 20-0 shot advantage in the second period of the Bruins' 6-2 loss on March 15. The Bruins have occupied the defensive zone too often. They have paid the price on the scoreboard. 'We're just defending too much,' said David Pastrnak following the Bruins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on March 17. 'The second period against Tampa, that was unacceptable. Not as bad, but (something) similar happened this second period. We were defending a lot against a very highly offensively skilled team. It's always tiring to defend. We have to play more on offense in the O-zone to create more opportunities.' As of Thursday, opponents average 59.46 attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play against the Bruins, according to Natural Stat Trick. That is the 12th-worst in the NHL. In comparison, the Carolina Hurricanes allow a league-low 49.32 CA/60. Of late, the Bruins have struggled to arrive on time in the defensive zone in multiple areas: on the puck, in wall battles and in support. Advertisement 'We can be a little bit quicker getting there,' interim coach Joe Sacco said. 'Doing a better job at times supporting, whether it's a defenseman holding the wall, defensemen below the goal line.' Spending less time in the defensive zone isn't just on the defensemen. Mason Lohrei, for example, can be trusted to retrieve pucks. But if a wing like Cole Koepke can't arrive on time on the wall to be an outlet for Lohrei, it's too easy for opposing forechecks to swamp the defenseman and keep pucks trapped in the Bruins' end. Lohrei, like many young defenders, becomes subject to misplays when he doesn't have enough time to execute. Other teams know the Bruins aren't among the swiftest at transitioning from defense to offense. Opponents have the green light to let loose on the forecheck because the reward of occupying the offensive zone is worth the risk. 'When you have teams that are coming at you, you have to make sure you know where your proper support is coming out of the defensive zone,' Sacco said. 'Know where your outs are. Know where your support is on the ice. That's just being in the right spots at the right times. So if our defenseman's under pressure or we have a forward under pressure, he has to know, 'I have support in this area, I can make these plays.' Or you have to get your feet moving. You can't get stuck. The puck has to move. Or your feet have to move. It's one or the other.' It has not helped that the Bruins are down Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, their two sharpest puck-moving defensemen. Both are better than most at initiating exits, either by skating pucks out of danger or finding teammates up the ice. The 2025-26 Bruins will be better when both are back and healthy. The Bruins could also consider bringing back Jokiharju, who belongs in the mobile category. Advertisement The defense could undergo additional makeovers if general manager Don Sweeney identifies swiftness as a priority. Nikita Zadorov is better known for his physicality than puck-playing predictability. The same goes for Andrew Peeke, although the Bruins are thinner on the right side than on the left. Up front, the Bruins only have five forwards under contract for next year. Sweeney has more flexibility to optimize the 2025-26 Bruins for more pace at forward than he does on the back end. Additional room for options, however, does not guarantee offseason execution. Everyone wants to get faster. The game is not slowing down. The Bruins learned that the hard way this year. (Top photo of Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Dahlin: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jokiharju Dealt To Boston For Draft Pick
The Buffalo Sabres were expected to be busy at the NHL Trade Deadline, but they took an unexpected route, re-signing pending free agents Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway to two-year contract extensions. The club did make three trades on deadline day, the largest being the swap of Dylan Cozens and Dennis Gilbert to Ottawa for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker. The club's other moves were less impactful, as winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel was sent to the NY Rangers for defenseman Erik Brannstrom, and defenseman Henri Jokiharju was dealt to the Boston Bruins for a 2026 fourth-round pick. We have acquired a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenseman Henri Jokiharju. Details → — Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 7, 2025 The 25-year-old blueliner played six seasons for the Sabres after being acquired from Chicago in 2019. Jokiharju never bloomed into a top-four defenseman with the Sabres, with his best campaign coming last season under former coach Don Granato, with 20 points (3 goals, 17 assists) in 74 games and a +14 rating. A restricted free agent last summer, the Sabres signed Jokiharju to a one-year, $3 million contract, but under head coach Lindy Ruff, the right-handed Finn has been a part-time player, playing just 42 games and posting just six points (3 goals, 3 assists). After a slew of injuries to their blueline, Finland tabbed Jokiharju as a replacement for the recently completed 4 Nations. HENRI JOKIHARJU BREAKS THE ICE FOR FINLAND 🇫🇮🧊 #4Nations — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 14, 2025 With the Sabres blueline being primarily left-handed, Jokiharju was given a chance to play on one of the top two pairings to start the season but quickly found himself either on the bottom pairing or in the press box. In spite of his young age for a player with nearly 400 games of NHL experience, there were questions of whether there was any interest on either side of a future in Buffalo past the end of this season, and once the Sabres healthy-scratched him prior to the deadline, Jokiharju's fate was sealed. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams would not comment on the trade with the media in Florida. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Bruins Acquire Defenseman From Buffalo Sabres
The Boston Bruins have acquired defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. The #NHLBruins have acquired defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick.📰: — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 7, 2025 Seeing the Bruins bring in an NHL-caliber right-shot defenseman is not surprising. They just traded Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Charlie McAvoy is out indefinitely. Thus, acquiring Jokiharju gives them a bit more depth for the final portion of the season. Jokiharju, 25, has three goals, six points, and a plus-6 rating in 42 games this season. This is after he had three goals and set new career-highs with 17 assists and 20 points in 74 games last season with Buffalo. In 389 career NHL games over seven seasons split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Sabres, Jokiharju has 19 goals and 93 points.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jokiharju, Zucker Scratches Could Indicate Impending Trades
The Buffalo Sabres 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal on Monday was their third in a row, but for a club in last place and 12 points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, another defeat serves only as another step towards a 14th straight season outside of the playoffs. The most consequential event remaining for the Sabres this season is the NHL trade deadline this Friday, with the possibility of the club swapping out players with expiring contracts for assets. The fate of wingers Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway are uncertain since Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said last month that he would like to sign them to contract extensions, but the writing may be on the wall for pending UFA defenseman Henri Jokiharju. The 25-year-old has been in and out of the lineup all season, but after a good showing for Finland at last month's NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and scoring goals in consecutive games for the Sabres after returning, the right-handed Finn has been a healthy scratch the last two games. Henri Jokiharju pistää kiekon kenkälaatikkoon! 🚨 — NHL Suomi (@NHL_fi) February 26, 2025 Although the return for Jokiharju may not be large, factors outside of Buffalo could help the Sabres get a better-than-expected return. The pool of right-handed blueliners may not be as large as once thought. The trade of Seth Jones to Florida took one possible option for teams off the board, but the close races in the East and West may prevent Montreal from dealing rental David Savard, Boston from moving Brandon Carlo, and St. Louis from entertaining offers on Colton Parayko and look towards Jokiharju as a potential fallback option. Adams could also increase his return if the Sabres offered to retain a portion of his $3 million salary. While a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman indicated that Buffalo was working on an extension for Greenway, there has not any news on progress on a new deal with Zucker, who has 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 54 games, played less than 13 minutes in a 3-2 win over Anaheim on February 25 and has missed the last three games with a foot injury. It is possible that Zucker is being held out because of more than just the injury. He may also be held out to protect him before Friday's deadline in case the Sabres receive an offer they cannot refuse. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
Los Angeles Times
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Henri Jokiharju helps Buffalo rally past Ducks
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Henri Jokiharju scored 9:31 into the third period to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win against the Ducks on Tuesday night. JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch also scored and Dylan Cozens had three assists for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 16 saves for the Sabres, who have won six of their last seven games. Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson scored power-play goals while Lukas Dostal made 32 saves for the Ducks, whose five-game point streak was snapped. The Ducks led 2-0 after two periods, but Peterka scored 1:56 into the third on a one-timer to cut the lead to 2-1, and Tuch followed at 5:34 by putting a puck off of Dostal and in. Jokiharju, who starred for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, scored his second goal in as many games to complete the comeback. Takeaways Sabres: Buffalo's comeback win was their fourth in games in which they trailed after two periods and helped them draw to within two points of Pittsburgh at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Ducks: Going without Trevor Zegras (three-game suspension) and goalie John Gibson (day-to-day with an upper-body injury), the Ducks were unable to capitalize on two power-play goals in a game for the first time since Nov. 15. Key moment Jokiharju's goal from a minimal angle beat Dostal high over his shoulder and past his head to give the Sabres the lead for good at 9:31 of the third period. Key stat The multi-goal third period comeback for the Sabres was their first of the season and first against the Ducks. Up next The Sabres are at the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night and the Ducks return home to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
