Bruins assign 2 rookies to Providence with reinforcements arriving on blue line

The Boston Bruins reorganized their roster several hours before puck drop on Saturday, sending rookies Mason Lohrei and Johnny Beecher to the Providence Bruins in exchange for Derek Forbort and Brandon Carlo, who are expected to make their ice return against the Canadiens that evening.

Saturday will mark Forbort’s first game since Dec. 3, with the veteran blueliner spending the last six weeks on long-term injured reserve due to a nagging lower-body injury.

After sustaining a concussion during Boston’s shootout loss to the Avalanche on January 8, Carlo has missed the last five games. Parker Wotherspoon will miss work on Saturday in addition to Lohrei’s AHL assignment, even though Carlo and Forbort are available.

Several more important players will return to the Boston lineup for the game against the Habs on Saturday. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark will start in goal. This will be Ullmark’s first game back since he sustained a lower-body injury during Boston’s overtime loss to the Coyotes on January 9.

Rookie Matt Poitras will also make his first appearance since Jan. 9, with the center missing the last four games after suffering a shoulder injury in Arizona. Oskar Steen will be the odd man out up front for Boston on Saturday.

The writing was on the wall that Lohrei would likely be on his way back to the AHL ranks once Forbort and Carlo were cleared to return. Despite his puck-moving skillset, Lohrei should benefit from the heavy minutes and featured power-play reps available to him against AHL competition.

For the young blueliner, strengthening his D-zone play is the most important thing. This season, Lohrei has played 407:58 minutes of 5v5 ice time, and the Bruins have lost 21-16.

Despite Beecher’s recent ups and downs in the lineup, his assignment to the AHL is somewhat more unexpected. In spite of his declining attacking output (18 games, 1 goal, 2 points), Beecher has mostly held his own during some demanding defensive minutes.

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