With the NHL draft and free agency looming over the next 10 days or so, the Bruins took care of a necessary piece of business on Monday.

The club announced they signed defenseman Mason Lohrei to a two-year extension worth an annual cap hit of $3.2 million. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Lohrei was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

The deal allows the player time to continue to grow his game and it also gives the Bruins a couple of years to assess what exactly they have in the slick, offensive-minded defenseman before they make a decision on whether they want to make it a long-term relationship. There is a hope that he’s far from a finished product.

In 2024-25, the 24-year-old Lohrei was thrown prematurely into the deep end when Hampus Lindholm suffered what would be a season-ending knee injury in November. With Charlie McAvoy also having his season ended with a shoulder injury/infection in the 4 Nations Faceoff, Lohrei wound up leading the B’s defensemen in scoring with 5-28-33 totals.

But he did have his troubles in the defensive zone, as evidenced by his league-worst minus-43. While his gifts in the offensive zone are undeniable, it remains to be seen if he can become a legitimate top-four NHL defenseman.