When the Boston Bruins traded Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in March of 2025, it was surprising. Maybe the biggest surprise was his destination, the Maple Leafs. It's not the first trade between the Atlantic Division rivals, but the names involved in the deal were surprising.
Toronto sent prospect Fraser Minten to the Bruins along with the Maple Leafs 2026 first-round draft, top 5 protected, and a fourth-round pick in last June's draft, which was used to select Vashek Blanar. Even though Toronto's first-round pick is top 5 protected, nobody thought that it would be a question as to whether or not the Black and Gold would see the pick.
However, the NHL is unpredictable, and that is the case again in 2025-26. Who saw the Bruins in Year 1 of a retool, fighting for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Not many, even within the fanbase. On top of that, who saw the Maple Leafs falling apart and missing the postseason? Not many.
That's where we're at, but Toronto's struggles out of the Olympic break are causing concerns for Bruins fans that the pick won't be there, and it would fall into the top 5. On Sunday night, Boston got a good result when it comes to scoreboard watching with the Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs upsetting Wild is good news for the Bruins
Are the Bruins going to emerge from their heated playoff race in the East that is very tight and end up in the playoffs next month? Who knows, but Toronto beat the Minnesota Wild, 4-2, on Sunday night on the road to move to 70 points in the standings. Right now, there are 10 teams in the NHL with a lower number of points.
Toronto will be without captain Auston Matthews for the rest of the season after he suffered a knee injury after a knee-to-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. He was suspended for five games, which felt very low for a repeat offender, but the damage was done with the hit. The Maple Leafs were not making the playoffs, but losing Matthews is still a blow to the lineup.
There is going to be a lot of scoreboard watching for Bruins fans for the rest of the 2025-26 season, whether it's for playoff positioning or draft purposes. If Boston doesn't make the playoffs, it could set themselves up for two first-round picks in June's draft. On top of that, Minten is thriving with the Bruins and won Saturday's game in the ninth round of the shootout against the Washington Capitals.