The Bruins made their first trade of 2026 on Friday morning when they agreed to trade forward Jeffrey Viel to the Anaheim Ducks for the earlier of their two fourth-round picks (from Detroit and Philadelphia).
Viel played in just 10 games for the Bruins this season, did not have any points, and hadn't played since the December 20 loss to Vancouver. The trade is the first the Bruins have made since they traded for Viktor Arvidsson back on July 1, and is the first in-season trade they have made this year.
The Quebec native played two seasons with the Bruins, and makes his return to the west coast after starting his career with the San Jose Sharks. Viel spent three seasons in San Jose from 2020-2023 before signing with the Bruins in 2024. The pick Boston brought in from the trade with Anaheim will, at the moment, be the pick from the Philadelphia Flyers, who are currently 16th in the NHL. In his Bruins career, Viel had no goals, assists, or points in 15 games played, was a -2, and had 44 penalty minutes.
Overall, this is a solid deal for Boston. Viel was barely making an impact on the ice, and was going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. I wouldn't say bringing in Viel was bad by any means. He only had five points in his career before coming to Boston (3-2-5), and he wasn't brought in to fill that role.
Viel would be a guy that you could slot in for injuries when you really needed to, bring some toughness to the lineup, and give you a consistent performance when needed. Don Sweeney successfully turned a 2024 free agent acquisition into a mid-round pick, so I would give this trade a solid A for Boston.