Fraser Minten is turning the Brandon Carlo trade into exactly the kind of headache Maple Leafs fans hoped to avoid.
Boston sent Carlo to Toronto at the March 2025 deadline for a first-round draft pick, prospect Fraser Minten and a fourth-round pick, and the return is looking better for the Bruins by the week. The first-rounder was Top-5 protected, and when the Maple Leafs slid late last season and won the NHL Draft Lottery, they kept the pick and used it to select Gavin McKenna.
That still hasn’t softened the blow in Boston. Minten, after a breakout 2025-26 season for the Bruins, has opened 2026-27 the same way: fast, polished and impossible to ignore.
Charlie McAvoy made that point plainly after Tuesday night’s 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
“He was already amazing last year, and we saw glimpses of what he could be in the future,” McAvoy said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. “I think the way that he plays is just so mature, that that’s a way in which he can lead...
We are going to lean on him a lot. He’s a great two-way player and a big part of what we’re trying to build here.”
Minten backed up that praise with a two-goal night in Northern California. He opened the scoring in the first period, then struck again in the third to push Boston back ahead by two at 5-3, just a little more than six minutes after San Jose had cut the deficit to 4-3 on a power-play goal.
The numbers are starting to match the eye test. Through seven games this season, Minten has four goals and three assists while averaging nearly 16 minutes a night. He’s been used in every situation by Marco Sturm, and he’s moved from third-line center to second-line center alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and JJ Peterka.
At this rate, the climb may not stop there. Unless Don Sweeney adds a top-line center, Minten looks like a player who could keep rising into the Bruins’ biggest center role. If Pavel Zacha is traded, that path could open even faster.
For Toronto fans eager to dismiss the loss because McKenna arrived on the other end of the deal, Boston’s side of this trade keeps looking stronger. The Bruins landed a long-term piece who was already locked up before the season with a new contract, and McAvoy’s comments made the internal view crystal clear: Boston believes Minten is part of what it’s building.
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Fraser Minten Is Making Bostons New Commitment Look Even Better
Fraser Mintens rise has given the Bruins an early-season boost, and it comes at a good time for a team looking for more from its younger core. The center has started the year strongly, providing offense while also earning praise for the kind of dependable two-way play Boston wants to build around. Head coach Marco Sturm and defenseman Charlie McAvoy have both pointed to Mintens development and leadership as reasons the club feels good about where his game is headed.
His latest impact came against the San Jose Sharks, when Minten scored twice to help Boston to a 6-3 win. The performance only reinforced why the Bruins were eager to make a long-term commitment to him, and why his start has felt like more than a hot streak. For a team searching for consistency and identity early in the season, Minten is making the bet on his future look like one the Bruins are already benefiting from. [Read more 🡒]