It has been almost a year since the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. This was an important turning point for the Boston Bruins as GM Don Sweeney committed to a rebuild, trading away major assets, including captain Brad Marchand, and stocking up on young players, prospects, and draft picks. It was a lot for the fans to swallow at the time, but the writing was on the wall, drastic changes needed to be made.
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A year later, things are really looking up for the Bruins. It’s been a streaky season, but has come with plenty of exciting moments and great performances. Several of the deals made at last season’s deadline have been tremendously impactful for the team, already paying dividends only a year later. But which 2025 deadline moves are looking the best? Let’s rank them.
7. New Jersey Devils Deal
The Deal: The Bruins acquired Daniil Misyul from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Marc McLaughlin.
This was a pretty simple move that didn’t involve any major players or picks, ranking it the lowest on this list. McLaughlin never quite got his footing Boston. He had some great flashes of potential, but it never cemented into any significant playing time or NHL opportunities. The Boston native needed a change of scenery, and that is what happened.
Daniil Misyul adds more depth to the blue line as the Bruins continue to retool and attempt to find the best combinations on defense. He appeared in 11 games for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, but signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavi in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) this past summer where he has three goals and eight points in 49 games. He was not offered a qualifying offer last summer, so the team no longer holds his rights if he makes a return to North America one day.
This deal has not been impactful for the Bruins, and there remains questions on if it ever will for the Devils. McLaughlin was recently waived with the intention of sending him down to play for the Utica Comets in the AHL for conditioning. He was placed on long-term injured reserve following a preseason injury and has yet to appear in a game in 2025-26.
6. Edmonton Oilers Deal
The Deal: The Bruins traded Trent Frederic and Max Jones, both 2016 first-round picks, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Maximus Wanner, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. The Devils were also involved in the deal, taking on some of Frederic’s salary.
Frederic was a solid player for the Bruins after a slow start to his NHL career while Jones never quite got his footing in Boston. While Frederic had his moments, he wasn’t necessarily the type of guy to be part of a core to rebuild around. He signed an eight-year contract extension, but has struggled so far in 2025-26 with two goals and three points in 55 games. Jones has a goal and two points in eight NHL games.
As for what the Bruins got in return, it really comes down to having to wait and see how players shake out, which is why this ranked pretty low at the moment. Wanner is 22-years-old, and it remains to be seen whether or not he has a future in the NHL. So far this season, the defenseman appeared in 14 games in the AHL without a point and has one goal in three games in the ECHL for the Maine Mariners. The second-round pick was used to select William Moore, currently playing for Boston College in the NCAA with four goals and 10 points in 25 games as a freshman.
This deal has had no real impact on the Bruins roster this season. But there is certainly reasons to be excited about it, particularly Moore, and will be one to revisit in a few years to really assess how it shakes out for Boston.
6. Florida Panthers Deal
The Deal: The Florida Panthers received Marchand while the Bruins got a conditional second-round pick in either the 2027 or 2028 NHL Draft that became a first-round pick after he appeared in more than 50% of last season’s playoff games. Boston also retained 50% of his salary last season.
It still stings for Bruins fans to see Marchand in a jersey that isn’t the spoked-B. A year ago, this was very obviously the worst deal of the bunch that Sweeney had made. It still doesn’t feel quite big enough for the caliber of player that he is. He is very obviously worth more, but to be a little fair to the front office, they didn’t have many options given that he had an eight-team no trade clause. While he went to a rival, it was good to see him lift the Stanley Cup again and he got the contract he wanted that Boston was not going to give him, a six-year extension.
Similarly to the Oilers deal, this hasn’t had much impact on the 2025-26 season itself, giving it a lower ranking. But this gets a slight edge since it now involves a first-round pick in 2027. It moves to the 2028 draft if it’s a top-ten pick or if it goes to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Seth Jones deal.
The Panthers have struggled so far in 2025-26 due to injuries and may miss the playoffs, and could be spelling the end to their domination. That first-round pick, even if it doesn’t come until 2028, could be a higher pick than one might have originally anticipated last year. For now, this is ranked fifth, but again, in a few years, this ranking could look very different depending on who is selected with the first-round pick and what they become.
4. Buffalo Sabres Deal
The Deal: The Bruins acquired defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
In his sixth season in Buffalo, it became apparent that Jokiharju was not going to re-sign with the team, wanting a chance to play elsewhere. It was a simple deal, the Sabres wanted to get something for a guy they weren’t going to be able re-sign and the Bruins needed a new stay-at-home option on defense after trading away Brandon Carlo (more on that later). The deal made sense for both sides, and worked out well for Boston since they were able to sign him to a three-year extension over the summer.
This is the first deal in the ranking that has had a direct impact on the Bruins’ 2025-26 season as Jokiharju made the opening night roster and has been in the lineup for the majority of the games this season. He’s been fine, but not great so far in 2025-26. He’s dealt with some injuries like the majority of the roster, but when he’s been healthy, he hasn’t been particularly noticeable on the ice. It’s a challenge of the nature of his position. A great defensive defenseman isn’t the flashiest of players and often gets overlooked, but he hasn’t quite been the solid defenseman the team needed either.
Even when healthy, Jokiharju has been a healthy scratch on several occasions and seems to be in danger of being surpassed in the depth chart by Jonathan Aspirot. Again, he hasn’t been awful, but he hasn’t been amazing either, a very middle of the ground player so far, making his acquisition fourth on the list and the lowest amongst last year’s trade deadline deals that brought in a current, active roster player.
3. Minnesota Wild Deal
The Deal: The Boston Bruins acquired Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for forward Justin Brazeau.
While Brazeau had been a great surprise addition for the Bruins after coming up from the ECHL and AHL to make his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season, like Frederic, he’s not a player to rebuild around. He was a valuable trade chip given his cheap contract and output as a solid depth guy, and fulfilled a need for Minnesota.
Brazeau didn’t quite work out for Minnesota as much as they would have liked, but at the end of the day, they didn’t give up too much for him either. Khusnutdinov was the primary piece of this trade and while he was an exciting young talent, he wasn’t working out for the Wild with only 11 points in 73 games. Initially there were also some question marks on him with the Bruins given he was a healthy scratch in five of their first 10 games.
But he has certainly turned it around. Khusnutdinov has become a solid player for the Bruins this season, generating 12 goals and 26 points in 52 games. The 23-year-old still has room to grow, but has shown great improvement and has started to come into his own in the NHL in January. Before the pause for the Olympics, he was getting reps on the top line, centering David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.
In his second stint with the Bruins, Lauko didn’t work out, not being given a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent this past summer. He returned to play in Czechia, where he is having a decent season for HC Dynamo Pardubice. The sixth-round pick will be used in this upcoming draft, so we’ll have to wait and see who that pick is used for.
The question marks of the sixth-round pick and Lauko’s return to Europe put this deal at the number three spot, but Khusnutdinov is shaping up to be a really solid addition. If he continues to be a successful forward for the Bruins, this deal could rise up the rankings in years to come.
2. Colorado Avalanche Deal
The Deal: The Bruins traded Charlie Coyle and their 2026 fifth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt, Will Zellers, and a 2025 second-round pick that was used to select Liam Petersson.
Coyle, like Frederic and Brazeau, was not going to be kept around through a rebuild. After a disappointing 2024-25 season, it made sense that the front office shipped him out to a contender in the Avalanche and give him a change of scenery. The haul they got in return has certainly been impactful this season, and also has great promise for the future of the team.
Mittelstadt has been a great addition to the forward group. He has a slight edge in points over Khusnutdinov with 12 goals and 28 points in 47 games. Like the rest of the roster, he’s missed time with an injury this season, but when he has been on the ice, he has been impactful and a noticeable difference maker. The 27-year-old was a great deadline addition, particularly because he was brought in on a contract that extends through 2026-27. It’s a fair deal, carrying an average annual value (AAV) of $5.75 million, and helps set the team up to be fairly competitive next season.
Zellers is also a good prospect who could be pushing for a roster spot within the next few seasons. He made team USA for World Juniors this season, scoring five goals and eight points in five games. In his first season in the NCAA, he has 14 goals and 23 points in 29 games for North Dakota, and is looking like he could turn into a legitimate goal-scorer at the NHL level.
Pettersson has also had a solid season in Sweden, getting two games of experience in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) while appearing in 16 games in the U20 league for the Vaxjo Lakers, registering five goals and seven points.
Mittelstadt, as well as the projected ceilings for prospects like Zellers and Pettersson, have solidly put this deal at number two on the ranking. It was a close call, but the next deal has a slight edge to propel it to the top spot.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs Deal
The Deal: The Boston Bruins acquired Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round pick that was used to select defenseman Vashek Blanar. In exchange, The Toronto Maple Leafs received defenseman, Brandon Carlo.
Carlo was a good stay-at-home defenseman, who had flashes of real greatness in his tenure in Boston. There were multiple points in his career where it could be argued he was one of the best defensemen in Boston and was generally underrated. Still, this was quite a steep price for him, and the Bruins are looking like they made off like bandits from this deal, even just a year removed from it.
Minten has been a bright spot this season. He was good at the start of the season, but the 21-year-old has only gotten better as the 2025-26 season has gone on and he has gained more comfort on the ice. In his first full NHL season, he currently has 14 goals and 29 points in 57 games. There is a chance he’ll surpass the 20-goal and 50-point thresholds, and should be in the conversation for the Calder Trophy. He was recently named the rookie of the month in January following an incredible eight goal and 14 point performance in the month.
That first-round pick in this year’s draft also has a ton of potential to be a top-end prospect given that it may fall in the first half of the first-round. The Leafs are currently on the outside looking in of a playoff spot, but aren’t quite bad enough to have a significant chance of landing a top-five pick, which would be protected given the terms of the deal. The pick could end up being in the range of six to twelve, which would offer up some great defensive prospects to go along with two centers they’ve drafted in the first-round the past two years.
Blanar is a big-bodied defenseman who is set to play in the NCAA next season for the University of Massachusetts. The 18-year-old is also playing in Sweden like Pettersson, and has appeared in 24 games for the U20 team for HV71, registering four goals and 14 points. At 6-foot-5, his size is certainly of interest and will be someone to watch as they develop the next few seasons.
While the first-round pick and Blanar are good prospects to add to the pool, Minten is the current crown jewel of this trade as well as the entire group of players and picks brought in at last year’s trade deadline. So far, he has lived up to expectations and is looking positioned to be a top center in seasons to come. If the Bruins continue to do right by his development and give him legitimate opportunities, there is a potentially very high ceiling for him and a lot to be excited about for Bruins fans.
2026 Trade Deadline Approaching
With the one-year anniversary of the 2025 trade deadline quickly approaching, that means that the 2026 trade deadline is also right around the corner. When the season resumes following the Olympics at the end of February, expect things to move quickly with a number of deals getting done before the March 6 deadline.
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The Bruins, currently in the second wild card spot for the East, should not be quite as active as they were last year. They don’t need to be significant sellers, and also aren’t quite there to be all out buyers either. Expect them to make a deal or two, maybe bring in a guy on a longer term contract in need of a change of scenery like Mittelstadt last season, but the rebuild is going faster than expected, and the front office shouldn’t be too hasty to make big moves in 2026. The prospects and picks from last year’s deadline are still developing, and when they are ready in the next few seasons, Boston should be a legitimate threat for the Stanley Cup again.
