When Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made some tough deals at the trade deadline in March, one of them involved defenseman Brandon Carlo. The big defenseman had been a staple on the backend for the Black and Gold. It wasn't that he was traded, but more as to where.
Carlo was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and part of the return was prospect Fraser Minten. Maple Leafs fans have been high on Minten, but Toronto's front office was fine with shipping him to a division rival.
Minten made the Bruins roster out of training camp, and truth be told, he has been a huge part of the success Boston has had this season, including during their six-game winning streak. The sixth win came on Saturday night at Toronto, 5-3, and the former Leafs prospect had a big hand in the win.
There were times in the third period when it felt like the Bruins were holding on by a thin thread with a one-goal lead, until Minten struck. He gave Boston an insurance goal late in the third period for a two-goal lead. It didn't sit well with the Maple Leafs, but it also continues to point out that Sweeney is winning that deal.
Don Sweeney continues to look good in acquiring Fraser Minten from the Maple Leafs
Minten has been nothing short of great for the Bruins and first-year coach Marco Sturm this year. He has gone out of his way to praise his center, including on Saturday night after the win.
“You could see it in his celebration, but I thought he was the best player on the ice, to be honest,” Sturm said. “He was just very, very calm. The little details he had, he was ready to go; he wanted to be out there. It was impressive because a lot of the young kids they don’t, especially when it’s a tight game and you got traded from that team. I loved his game today.”
There have been many nights this season where MInten has been the Bruins' best player. Against the New York Islanders last Tuesday night in the third period, he was bumped to the first line with David Pastrnak as Boston rallied for a shootout victory. He has been one of Boston's better penalty killers as well as at the face-off dot.
Carlo, on the other hand, has been the subject of potential trade rumors, but Maple Leafs fans are growing frustrated with him early in the season. Minten is shaping up to be a cornerstone piece for Boston, and with each passing game so far, it is becoming clear that Sweeney fleeced his division rival in a trade that doesn't happen very often between the two franchises. This is a deal that could pay off for years to come in Boston, including a first-round pick they also hold from Toronto.