The Boston Bruins quietly locked up another depth piece on Thursday, signing Riley Duran to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level. For a 24-year-old who has spent most of his pro career in Providence, it’s not a flashy move. But it does keep a Massachusetts kid in the system a little longer.
Duran, who grew up in Woburn, just finished his most productive AHL season. He put up 7 goals and 19 points in 2025-26, all career highs, and his plus-19 rating stood out on a Providence team that leaned on him in a bottom-six role. He’s been with the organization since they picked him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, and he’s logged 143 AHL games without ever leaving the state. Even his college career was local — he played at Providence College, where he scored 55 points in 102 games for the Friars from 2021 to 2024.
Duran has two NHL games under his belt, making his debut in April 2025, and he represented Team USA at the World Juniors in 2022. Not bad for a late-round pick who grinded his way through the minors.
One RFA Left to Sign
With Duran inked, the Bruins have exactly one restricted free agent still on the board: forward Matthew Poitras. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick in 2022 and had a solid season in Providence with 44 points in 69 games. He also got into three games with Boston this year and scored a goal. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s got skill, and the team seems to want to keep him around.
Boston also recently re-signed Latvian center Dans Locmelis, a fourth-round pick from 2022 who hasn’t played in the NHL yet. So the pipeline is getting restocked, even if none of these guys are household names.
Path to NHL Minutes Gets Harder
Here’s the thing though. The Bruins just brought in JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth, and James Hagens is sitting in Providence as the likely first call-up — possibly even starting the season in Boston. That makes the depth chart crowded. Duran, Locmelis, even Poitras might have to wait.
But there’s a window coming. After the 2026-27 season, the Bruins have four pending unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents just among their forwards. That’s a lot of potential turnover. If Duran keeps playing the way he did this year, he could be in the conversation for a bottom-line spot when those doors open. Or he could just be another AHL lifer who gets a few cups of coffee. Hard to say.
Either way, the Bruins aren’t hurting for organizational depth. They’re just waiting to see who wants it more.
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