The Boston Bruins are looking to add a player on a term deal to their promising roster, preferably one who fits well with the team's growing core in the mid-20s. One overlooked trade chip is the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick, which could become much more intriguing if the team continues its freefall this season.
There has been some confusion around which year the Bruins have the Leafs' first-round pick. The easiest way to explain it is that the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers own Toronto's first-round picks for the next two years, but the Leafs now decide which team gets which pick each year.
If the Leafs finish well this season and land a pick in the 20s, they'll likely give it to the Bruins to avoid the embarrassment of gifting them another lottery pick. Then, if Toronto falls off next season for whatever reason, an Eastern Conference foe would get the lottery selection in the Flyers. Still, it won't be as bad as giving that kind of selection to an Atlantic Division rival.
Where the Leafs now risk putting themselves in a bad position is if they are bad for the next two seasons, as they'd give the Flyers a lottery pick this season, but then what if they are even worse and somehow win the lottery again next season, giving the Bruins the first-overall selection and someone like Maddox Schultz.
Bruins have options with the Maple Leafs' first-round pick
Now the Bruins could wait it out, hoping the Leafs see their demise over the next two seasons, but that is a risk to take. What happens if the core stays intact and then they add a premier defenseman or forward in the offseason? Boston would then be stuck with a 2028 first-round pick that projects to be in the mid-to-late 20s.
If I'm the Bruins, I'm aggressively shopping that pick this season, especially if the Leafs keep struggling. Boston could find a Western Conference team that values that asset, since Toronto would likely give a Western team a lottery pick over Philadelphia if they finish that low this season.
The more the Leafs lose, the more valuable the pick becomes, which means Don Sweeney will have to find the sweet spot and deal it at the perfect time. However, if the Bruins want to add a piece that can help them now and in the future without losing any of their top prospects, the Leafs' pick is the answer.
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