The Boston Bruins have been doing a good job of improving their prospect pool. While they still have far more work to do with it, there is no question that they have brought in some solid new prospects since the trade deadline. Fraser Minten is undoubtedly one of them.
The Bruins acquired Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo. While the Bruins' right side certainly misses Carlo, this trade has the potential to be a good one for the Bruins, and Minten is a significant reason behind it.
Minten has shown promise early on during his career. In 21 games this campaign split between the Maple Leafs and Bruins, he recorded three goals, five points, and 48 hits. He also had nine goals and 20 points in 37 AHL games split between the Toronto Marlies and Providence Bruins on the year. Overall, it was a solid first full professional season split between the AHL and NHL for Minten.
Yet, now that Minten has gained some experience, he is standing out as one of the Bruins' top breakout candidates for next season. When noting that he is a smart two-way center with offensive upside, he could end up becoming a nice piece for Boston in 2025-26.
When looking at the Bruins' current depth chart, Minten certainly has a real shot of making the Bruins' NHL roster out of training camp. The 6-foot-2 forward is already a very smart player at just 21 years old and could already be a potential answer for the Bruins' third-line center spot.
There is a lot to be excited about with Minten's game, and it will be fascinating to see how big of a step forward he takes with the Bruins in 2025-26 because of it.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Did Something Special
While the Boston Bruins had a disastrous 2024-25 season, David Pastrnak had himself another great year. In 82 games on the campaign, he recorded 43 goals, 63 assists, and 106 points. This included posting 19 goals and 46 points in the Bruins’ final 30 games of the season alone.
Overall, it was nothing short of an excellent season for Pastrnak, and he did something truly special because of it. This was the third year in a row that Pastrnak recorded at least 100 points, which is a significant accomplishment.
Not too many NHL players reach 100 points in a single season, so Pastrnak successfully doing so in three consecutive years is incredibly impressive. It only demonstrates just how dominant a player he has been for the Bruins. Pastrnak hitting the 100-point mark this season was especially impressive in 2024-25, though, as the Bruins did not have too many impactful offensive contributors around him.
In addition to recording 100 points for the third straight season in a row, Pastrnak has now also scored at least 40 goals in four straight seasons. Furthermore, the 2024-25 season was the second year in a row where he had 63 assists. Thus, he certainly has been making an impact with his playmaking skills, too.
It will now be interesting to see if Pastrnak can record 100 points for the fourth straight year next season from here. Given how dominant he continues to play, it is hard to bet against him doing so.
