Boston Bruins fans can worry about the player that Don Sweeney acquired in his trade in the draft's first round as much as they want, as I'm also a bit skeptical about the actual impact that JJ Peterka will have on the organization. However, if the argument is that Sweeney shouldn't have traded any first-round picks to get current assets, then that argument falls a little flat when you actually consider what they traded.
The Bruins sent the Utah Mammoth the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft, and the Florida Panthers 2028 first-round pick from the Brad Marchand trade. That Panthers pick looked like it could end up being valuable, but after they acquired Brady Tkachuk and are in on some other big-name players, there's a good chance they'll be one of the league's best teams again for the next few seasons.
Bruins' 23rd overall pick didn't have as much upside as you may think
It's always good to enter the first round of the draft and have a pick to look forward to. Speculation was running rampant about which players could fall to the Bruins, and if they had kept the pick, some of my favorites would have been there for them to take. However, Sweeney felt like he wanted to take more of a sure thing in a skilled winger who already has a 60-point season, and that isn't the worst plan when looking at the list of recent picks in that slot.
23rd overall picks between 2005 and 2021: https://t.co/91UoQFWCIa pic.twitter.com/4efGJH5LaB
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 26, 2026
Brock Boeser is the top player on JFresh's list of recent 23rd-overall picks, and he only fell there because of Don Sweeney's drafting in the middle of that first round. The truth is that it's rare for a player in that range to make an immediate impact or for most of them, any impact at all.
If trying to make a couple of more runs with the current core, the player from that pick likely wouldn't have moved the needle as quickly as the front office wanted. Add in the Panthers' 2028 pick, which could've easily fallen in the same range, and you're not getting a look at that player in the NHL until some of the core might have already retired.
Sweeney maximized the team's competitive window for the next couple of years by punting on a lottery ticket and grabbing a player that he knows can challenge to play in the team's top six for at least the duration of his contract and potentially longer. Argue with the player all you want, but the front office's thought process was correct.
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