Bruins
The Bruins uprooted several key players on their roster Friday.
The Boston Bruins held practice at Warrior Ice Arena under their new coach, Joe Sacco after Jim Montgomery was fired as the head coach. Bruins GM Don Sweeney(left) and Bruins president Cam Neely watch the practice from Sweeney’s office above the ice.
Don Sweeney and Cam Neely have plenty of work to do before 3 p.m. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff (sports)
The NHL trade deadline is finally here — and Don Sweeney has plenty of work to do.
With Boston’s playoff hopes dwindling, the writing has been on the wall for weeks that the Bruins are poised to sell before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline.
Boston has already traded both Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau earlier this week. But what will happen with other trade chips like Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, and Brandon Carlo?
Follow along for live updates of all things related to the trade deadline:
6:25: Some highlights from Don Sweeney’s press conference:
Don Sweeney: “We couldn’t just run it back. We needed to turn a page and improve, and we were trying to do that today”
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 7, 2025
Sweeney: No one will be wearing the “C” the remainder of this season.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 7, 2025
Don Sweeney said that Brad Marchand’s timeline to return is “3 to 4 weeks”
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 7, 2025
Don Sweeney confirms that the Bruins are getting a draft pick back for Marchand.
He notes that Marchand’s injury did complicate matters.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 7, 2025
Don Sweeney: “We didn’t burn it down. We have a lot of guys.”
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) March 7, 2025
Don Sweeney does confirm that Brandon Carlo and Brad Marchand have been traded.
“A difficult day.”
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 7, 2025
5:42: A minor deal for the Bruins — Boston has acquired Henri Jokiharju from the Sabres. 25-year-old, right-shot D.
The Bruins have acquired defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round draft pick (originally from Edmonton).
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 7, 2025
5:30: Still no clarity on the return on the full returns from the Carlo and Marchand deals.
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4:08: If that’s the return from Florida … yikes.
I'm hearing Bruins got a 1st and Fraser Minton for Carlo and a 2nd (conditional 1st) for Marchand
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) March 7, 2025
3:49: Looks like it’s Minten and a first-round pick for Carlo.
Still piecing together the details but so far:
To #LeafsForever:
D Brandon Carlo
To #NHLBruins:
TOR 1st Round Pick
Fraser Minten
To #LetsGoPens:
Conor Timmins
Connor Dewar
Believe there is retention involved as well.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 7, 2025
3:33: Bruins getting a young center back from Toronto.
Minten, 20, has already played 15 games with Toronto this season — scoring two goals and adding two assists. 38th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Plays with plenty of pace. Bruins getting a lot of guys with high motors between Minten, Khusnutdinov, etc.
Fraser Minten is part of the package going to Boston in the Brandon Carlo deal.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 7, 2025
3:26: Full story on Marchand being traded to Florida.
3:22: Bruins keep on making moves. A right-shot D.
If it got done in time Buff sends Jokiharju to Boston.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 7, 2025
3:16: Did not think the Bruins be so bold to move off a few franchise stalwarts in Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, and Charlie Coyle. Very curious to see what the return is. Bruins are blowing things up.
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3:10: A stunner — the Bruins are also reportedly trading Carlo.
3:05: Brad Marchand has reportedly been traded … to the Panthers. Wow.
Marchand to Florida. It's happening
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 7, 2025
3:00: The deadline has arrived. Let’s see if anything else plays out.
2:45: A full breakdown of the Coyle trade:
2:30: 30 minutes to go.
2:22: The Bruins don’t save cap space by moving Coyle, as Mittelstadt’s $5.75 million cap hit is more than Coyle’s $5.25 million cap hit. But Mittelstadt does offer some security with his contract, given that he’s signed for the next two years — with his value potentially maximized amid a spiking cap hit if he is able to settle into a set role with Boston.
2:13:Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco added that the Bruins are also getting a second-round pick and prospect Will Zellers from Colorado as part of the return for Coyle.
A second-round pick is a nice bit of business for Boston, while Zellers has currently put up 58 points in 40 games in the USHL. He will play next season at North Dakota.
Zellers is not a big body (5-foot-11), but he’s also a player that has scored 37 goals in 40 games this season. A nice pickup for a Bruins pipeline short on skill and scoring punch.
2:08: We’ll see what the full return is, but the Bruins are rolling the dice with a younger middle-six center due for a change of scenery in Mittelstadt. The 8th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft hasn’t found his groove with both Buffalo and Colorado, but could be due for a change of scenery. Mittelstadt is signed for the next two seasons at a $5.75 million cap hit.
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2:02: Looks like it’s going to be Casey Mittelstadt going to Boston, among other pieces. Mittelstadt, 26, has 34 points in 64 games with Colorado this season.
2:00: Looks like the Bruins are making a move. Coyle reportedly heading to Colorado.
Charlie Coyle has been traded to Colorado.
— Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) March 7, 2025
1:55: Down in Florida, Marat Khusnutdinov is already practicing with Boston.
1:51: After a quiet stretch, the Blue Jackets are bringing in a physical winger in Kunin.
Columbus Blue Jackers are acquiring Luke Kunin from San Jose Sharks
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 7, 2025
1:19: The expected return in the Rantanen trade. Could Carolina flip those first-round picks for something? A team like Carolina does make sense for a Marchand trade …
Sounds like the basis of the return for Mikko Rantanen when they get the deal done will be Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) March 7, 2025
1:00: Doesn’t seem like Brady Tkachuk is all that happy about seeing his good friend Josh Norris traded to Buffalo. Bruins fans will surely not run with this.
Brady Tkachuk is visibly emotional after losing his close friend Josh Norris via trade. He calls him the No. 1 guy he’d go to for anything, not just hockey. He learned about the trade just before practice today.
“It sucks.”
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) March 7, 2025
12:48: Thet Jets continue to load up — add a high-motor forward in Brandon Tanev.
Brandon Tanev to Jets for a 2nd in 2027.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 7, 2025
12:45: Looks like Scott Laughton is heading to Toronto. If he’s going for a steep price, you have to wonder if Charlie Coyle is a guy that would be coveted by multiple teams.
Laughton to Toronto from Philadelphia for Nikita Grebenkin and a first
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 7, 2025
12:35: Looks like Rantanen is heading to Dallas. Have to feel like the Stars are the Cup favorites now.
Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars are closing in on an extension
8 years, $12M AAV. Would get the deal done.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 7, 2025
12:30: While it seems likely that the Bruins will try to sell today, here are a few players the Bruins could also look to add before 3 p.m.
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12:25: Brad Marchand is the name to watch today — with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston noting on Thursday that a trade is definitely still on the table.
“At this point in time, there’s no confirmation he’s going to be traded,” Johnston said on TSN’s “Insider Trading segment. “But the feeling, league-wide, is that he very much is likely to be moved by the Bruins at some point to the West.”
Here are some of the pros and cons in place with moving a player like Marchand.
12:20: The Bruins have already struck a pair of trades this week — dealing Trent Frederic to the Oilers on Tuesday for a 2025 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and an AHL defenseman in Max Wanner. On Thursday, Boston acquired Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round pick in a deal with Minnesota with Justin Brazeau.
It sure seems like there’s a seller’s market in place that Boston should take advantage of.
12:10: Greetings here from Warrior Ice Arena! Will be covering the NHL trade deadline here today and will be speaking with Don Sweeney at 4 p.m.
As we await any new news from the Bruins, here’s a brief summary of some of the other deals that have been struck across the league:
Washington Capitals acquire forward Anthony Beauvillier from Pittsburgh Penguins for 2nd-round pick in 2025 NHL Draft.
Edmonton Oilers acquire defenseman Jake Walman from San Jose Sharks for conditional 1st-round pick in 2026 NHL Draft and forward Carl Berglund.
Anaheim Ducks acquire defenseman Oliver Kylington from New York Islanders for future considerations.
Colorado Avalanche acquire forwards Brock Nelson and William Dufour from New York Islanders for forward Calum Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, a 1st-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NHL Draft and a 3rd-round pick in 2028.
New York Rangers acquire defenseman Carson Soucy from Vancouver Canucks for 3rd-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Vegas Golden Knights acquire forward Reilly Smith from New York Rangers for forward Brendan Brisson and 3rd-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Winnipeg Jets acquire goalie Chris Driedger from Florida Panthers for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.
New Jersey Devils acquire defenseman Brian Dumoulin from Anaheim Ducks for forward Herman Traff and 2nd-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Nashville Predators acquire forward Michael Bunting and 4th-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tommy Novak.
Tampa Bay Lightning acquire forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde, defenseman Kyle Aucoin, and a 5th-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in a three-team trade also involving the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings.
Seattle acquires forward Michael Eyssimont, a 2nd-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, a conditional 1st-round pick in 2026 and a conditional 1st-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Detroit acquires a conditional 4th-round pick in 2025.
Profile image for Conor Ryan
Conor Ryan
Sports Writer
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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