It’s not very often that the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs make a rather big trade. The two Atlantic Division rivals will rarely send impactful players to the other, especially if that player has some term remaining on their contract. That was the case on March 7.
Boston general manager Don Sweeney sent defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Maple Leafs in exchange for prospect Fraser Minten, a conditional first-round 2026 Draft pick, and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 Draft. The first-round pick in return is nice, but Minten could become a bigger addition when all is said and done.
Minten, who has played in NHL games this season with the Maple Leafs, is already turning heads with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). With the current position Boston is in, it would be wise for the Bruins to keep Minten in the minors for the rest of the season and not rush him along.
Bruins prospect Fraser Minten turning heads already in the AHL
The Maple Leafs were pretty high on Minten and some fans were upset seeing him moved, especially to Boston. He wasn’t able to play right away because of visa issues, but since he got them ironed out, he has been impressive. He turned some heads this past weekend.
Minten recorded a natural hat trick in a 4-1 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds over the weekend. His quick shot release and ability to finish around the net were on display and gave Bruins fans reason for hope down the line with Vancouver native who was a 2022 second-round pick of Toronto.
Fraser Minten has his fourth point (!) of the game as he jumps off the bench, controls the puck out high and shoots with purpose through traffic. Riley Duran, No. 11 in white, is there to score the tip-in goal. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/vbihLhG1Q9
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) March 16, 2025
Rushing him up to the NHL is not the move to make this season. Boston has never rushed prospects to the NHL and this is not the time to start. Minten played in 15 games this season for Toronto with two goals and four points. Now if we’re being honest, keeping him in the AHL and letting him develop more rather than bringing him up and exposing him to the mess that is the Boston Bruins.
In all honesty, letting the Bruins finish out the season with players like Cole Koepke, Jakub Lauko, Marat Kushnutdinov, and others is the way to play things out. Leaving players like Minten, Fabian Lysell, and Matthew Poitras down in Providence for the regular season push and the postseason is the move to make. If they need a forward, then Oliver Wahlstrom is the player to call up, not a prospect.
Minten turning heads already with Providence is not surprising, but the Bruins need to avoid rushing him along and let him play out the season in the AHL.