The Bruins welcomed back one of their defensemen to the lineup tonight against Calgary as the team announced that Jonathan Aspirot has been added back to the active roster. More specifically, he was activated off injured reserve. Boston had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.
The 26-year-old signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Bruins for the league minimum in Group Six unrestricted free agency, hoping that a new organization could give him a pathway to his first taste of NHL action. While it took a bit of time, he ultimately got that opportunity.
Aspirot cleared waivers back in October and got into five games with AHL Providence. He had a goal and two assists in those outings and three weeks after being sent down, he earned a promotion to Boston and has been with them since.
Aspirot played in 19 games with Boston before the injury, predominantly on their third pairing. In those outings, he had a goal along with 28 blocks and 32 hits while averaging a little over 16 minutes per night of ice time. He had missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury sustained against Winnipeg.
Even with his activation, the Bruins are still without a pair of blueliners. Henri Jokiharju is on IR with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out for a month while Jordan Harris is on long-term injured reserve and has missed more than two months with an ankle injury.