Five post-NHL trade deadline Bruins storylines to watch originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins were the busiest team at the NHL trade deadline last Friday.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney overhauled his flawed roster, trading away notable players such as Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau and Brandon Carlo.
These moves helped the B’s acquire valuable draft picks and young players that will help in the long-term. But what about the short term?
The Bruins aren’t mathematically eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race, but their chances of extending their league-leading postseason appearance streak to nine seasons appear slim.
Let’s take a look at five key storylines for fans to watch over the Bruins’ final 17 games of the 2024-25 regular season.
Which young players/newcomers will make the biggest impact?
The Bruins acquired a couple good young players in their trade deadline deals. One of them is Casey Mittelstadt, a 26-year-old center who came over in the Charlie Coyle trade.
Mittelstadt has disappointed offensively this season, but he does have the kind of skill set that can improve the Bruins’ scoring output at 5-on-5 and the power play. He’s a talented playmaker and adds much-needed speed to the B’s lineup.
Mittelstadt picked up an assist in his Bruins debut on Cole Koepke’s third-period goal in last Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Fraser Minten was one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ best prospects, and he was acquired as part of the Brandon Carlo trade. Minten will start with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he got a look in the NHL before the regular season concludes.
Minten has a good two-way skill set at center, including an impressive shot. He has 19 games of NHL experience since being drafted in the second round by the Leafs in 2022, and getting him some more reps at that level would be beneficial to his development.
The return of Jakub Lauko — acquired in the Justin Brazeau trade — provides the Bruins another good locker room presence and some speed in the bottom-six. Can he make more of an offensive impact in his second stint with the B’s? That would be the best way for him to carve out a permanent role.
Henri Jokiharju was acquired from the Sabres just before the trade deadline. The Finnish defenseman has the potential to add puck-moving skill and mobility to the B’s blue line. Jokiharju played really well for the Sabres last…