One of the Philadelphia Flyers' biggest needs right now is another defenseman. Their left side, in particular, could use a boost.
With it being so early in the season, the trade market is pretty quiet. Yet, while this is the case, there is an interesting Boston Bruins defenseman who is starting to create some speculation: Mason Lohei.
Lohrei has now been scratched five games in a row by the Bruins. Due to Lohrei being scratched so often, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman wrote in his latest 32 Thoughts column that teams could call the Bruins about the left-shot defenseman.
"I don’t know that there’s anything going on trade-wise with Mason Lohrei," Friedman wrote. "But I do know that when a talented, young player like him sits four games in a row, others call and ask what’s up."
With Lohrei being just 24 years old, he could be a very interesting player for the Flyers to pursue if the Bruins make him available. The 2020 second-round pick has shown early on his career that he can make an impact as an offensive defenseman. Furthermore, he is young enough that he still could improve in the right situation.
During this past season with the Bruins, Lohrei recorded five goals, 28 assists, and 33 points in 77 games. He has also had a good start to the 2025-26 season offensively, posting one goal and six points in 11 games. This included him recording three assists against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 25.
However, defensive troubles have been a common theme with Lohrei early on in his career. The Louisiana native had an NHL-worst minus-43 on a bad Bruins club in 2024-25. He has also run into issues defensively this season, which has played a role in him being scratched for multiple games by Boston.
Yet, even with his defensive issues, Lohrei's offensive skill could make him an intriguing player for the Flyers to target if he ends up being shopped. This is especially so when noting that he is still young enough to be a nice fit in Philadelphia's rebuild and improve his defensive game.