Brandon Carlo is staying put.
The Bruins defenseman was a restricted free agent this offseason but he reached a six-year deal to stay with Boston, the team announced Wednesday. The contract will carry a $4.1 million cap hit annually.
“The Bruins are very pleased to have extended Brandon on a long-term deal,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said in a statement. “Brandon is a player who has grown into a foundational defenseman with our team while also emerging as an important leader on and off the ice.”
Carlo has been a staple on the right side of the Bruins’ second pairing for a few years now and is coming off a bridge deal that he signed ahead of the 2019-20 season. The most recent campaign was an unlucky one for Carlo, who suffered a concussion that limited him to just 27 regular season games. He then played just eight playoff games after getting hurt on a clean Cal Clutterbuck hit.
At his best, Carlo is a solid shutdown defenseman, who at times in 2021 showed more of a willingness to shoot. He’s loved in the locker room by his teammates and got the opportunity to serve as an alternate captain on occasion.
Getting Carlo locked up long-term was a no-brainer for the Bruins, who have already lost a few defensemen this offseason.
