Boston Bruins: Brandon Carlo Thrilled To Still Be Here
Boston Bruins defenceman Brandon Carlo was apprehensive about the trade deadline. The young blueliner was fervently hoping that he’d get to stay with the Black and Gold.
Boston Bruins defenceman Brandon Carlo was nervous going into the trade deadline. He is a growing talent in the NHL. He’s found himself playing top-line minutes with captain Zdeno Chara this season. He’s put up 14 points so far, good enough for third among Bruins defencemen. He was good enough to be moved, and teams were interested.
As the days ticked down, Carlo had to be worried about the rumor mill. Plenty of talk among the Boston media had Carlo as part of some package deal. Carlo and Bruins prospect Charlie McAvoy were hot commodities, and teams like the Colorado Avalanche were hoping to make a deal. At any minute he could have gotten a call that told him he had been moved by the Black and Gold.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen. The Boston Bruins remained remarkably calm during this year’s deadline. They believed that what they had was good enough. The only thing that the Bruins did was pick up forward Drew Stafford from the Winnipeg Jets for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2018.
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“There’s nothing wrong with liking the fact that you may be wanted around the league,” said Carlo of the attention he was getting from other teams. “I think that’s pretty cool with the guy that have been mentioned with me [in trade rumors], but overall I’m not paying too much attention to it. It’s kind of a good accomplishment to be in that category where you’re mentioned that way.”
Carlo has been part of the exciting youth movement under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy. The Bruins have gone 7-2 during his tenure. Cassidy has relied on the young players like Carlo to learn as they go, and they’ve repaid him with an offense that has put in nearly four goals a game and has let in half that.
The 20-year old Colorado native was drafted by the Bruins organization in the 2015 draft. He was a second round pick, 37th overall that year. While he’s happy to be in the NHL, he’s especially proud to be part of the team that drafted him into the league.
“Regardless of the situation I’m just happy to be in this league, and I really want it to be in Boston. Each and every night I pray that I stay in Boston and I pray that I stay with this team,” said Carlo over his desire to stay with the Bruins organization. “I’ve been lucky enough to have been drafted here and to play here. You ask other guys around the room and they were drafted in different places, but are here now. I feel like I can do a lot of good here, especially with a lot of the youth coming through the organization.
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“I look forward to continuing to develop and eventually win a Cup here. That’s my ultimate dream and goal.”