When the 2025 NHL trade deadline approached, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney had some tough decisions to make. His team was within striking distance, but let's be honest, the writing was on the wall that they were not a serious Stanley Cup contender.
Rather than sit tight and keep it as is, Boston's GM made some tough decisions and pulled off some trades that are going to end up helping the current and future Bruins teams. Some of the trades at the time were met with several questions, but when the dust settled, they did not look like bad trades.
What if Bruins GM Don Sweeney didn't have a trade deadline fire sale in 2025?
Where do we begin? Let's start with trading Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild for forward Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov. Lauko has since moved on, but Khusnutdinov has become a key contributor to Boston's lineup in the middle-six. He is eligible for an extension this summer and should get one. What a find he is turning out to be.
How about Boston trading Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche for forward Casey Mittlestadt, a second-round draft pick in the 2025 Entry Draft, and prospect Will Zellers? Mittlestadt is someone who played very well on the second line for the Bruins in 2025-26 with Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Zacha. He has one year remaining, but is still a trade candidate this summer. The biggest haul in the return is Zellers, who is a fast-rising prospect for the Black and Gold.
Sweeney traded Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers for a first-round draft pick that had several contingencies. Way too many to figure out. However, what you need to know is that the pick was moved on June 26 to the Utah Mammoth to acquire right-wing JJ Peterka to help now, along with Boston's 2026 first-round pick.
Now, the one that is likely to have the biggest payout. Boston sent defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a first-round draft pick, a fourth-round pick, and prospect Fraser Minten. Now, the first-round pick was Top 5 protected and, well, you know, the Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery back in May.
However, the return of Minten is one that is going to turn into gold. He is turning into a center that the Bruins need and, one day, a top-six or even a top-line center. In his first full season of 2025-26. He played in all 82 games with 17 goals and 18 assists with a plus/minus of plus-21. He averaged 15:33 a night. Just what the future holds for him remains to be seen, but the sky's the limit as of now.
At the time, it was painful for Sweeney to trade some of the players he did, but the payoffs in the end are going to make it worthwhile. Who knows where the Black and Gold would be without those moves.
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