The Boston Bruins wasted zero time signing Victor Soderstrom.
The B’s agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the young defenseman on Saturday, just one day after acquiring his rights from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a seventh-round pick and defenseman Ryan Mast.
Soderstrom, 24, was a restricted free agent prior to signing the deal.
The Arizona Coyotes originally selected him No. 11 overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, moving him up and down between the NHL and AHL across his four seasons with the club. Soderstrom decided to head back home to Sweden last season to play for Brynas IF Gavle, though his rights were held by Chicago.
Soderstrom appeared in 49 games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) during the 2024-25 season, recording nine goals and 28 assists for 37 points — winning the Börje Salming Trophy as the league’s best defenseman and leading all SHL skaters in plus-minus (+28).
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Boston has over $25 million in available cap space heading into the offseason, so this should be the first of many moves.
