After an extremely busy trade deadline a year ago that saw several players moved, it was a quiet deadline for the Boston Bruins this season. Holding down the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who made a big addition by acquiring Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks.
Speaking of the Canucks, the Bruins acquired Lukas Reichel from Vancouver for a sixth-round draft pick in this year's Draft. There was also a minor deal with the Philadelphia Flyers that included prospects. With all of that said, here are the grades for the two deals by general manager Don Sweeney.
Grading Boston Bruins 2026 trade deadline moves
A former first-round pick, 17th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, Reichel was traded to the Canucks back in October. Last year, he played in 70 games for Chicago with eight goals and 14 assists, before playing in five games with two goals and four points this season, before the trade.
Since arriving in Vancouver, he has played in just 14 games with one assist, while averaging 13:06 a night. He has played in 23 games for the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL with six goals and 13 points. He did have two goals and three points for Germany in the Olympics. Boston is clearly looking to find lightning in a bottle with this move, and Sweeney said that he'll begin with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Bruins Grade: B+
This is more of an AHL move for both clubs. Brett Harrison is someone who has shown flashes before, but never was able to put it all together to get his shot in the NHL. As for Edward, he is another player who is very deep on the depth chart, and maybe a change of scenery will do him some good. Like Reichel, Massimo Rizzo, and Alexis Gendron will head to Providence.