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Reaction and Trade Grades: Leafs receive Brandon Carlo from Bruins in exchange for Fraser Minten, 2026 1st-rounder
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Mar 7, 2025, 17:45 ESTUpdated: Mar 8, 2025, 11:47 EST
It’s been a frantic trade deadline for Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs, so we can’t exactly call this an instant reaction, but the Maple Leafs received defenceman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a package involving top prospect Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick (top-5 protected) and the Philadelphia Flyers’ 2025 fourth-round pick. Boston will retain 15 percent of Minten’s salary, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving confirmed via The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke, during his media availability in Denver after the deadline concluded.
In order to facilitate the deal, Toronto also sent Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for some salary relief
Toronto also acquired Scott Laughton, along with a 2025 fourth-round pick and 2027 sixth-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a top-10 protected 2027 first-round draft pick and forward Nikita Grebenkin.
Here’s our reaction, along with some trade grades
Maple Leafs get a needed defensive upgrade from a familiar foe
Brandon Carlo has spent the entirety of his nine-year career with the Boston Bruins, so he’s intimately familiar with his new teammates. Carlo is a coveted right-handed defenceman who is a near-elite shot blocker, and is an immediate upgrade on Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers, and he effectively forced Timmins out of the lineup, in a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 28-year-old carries a $4.1 million cap hit, that will account for roughly $3.5 million against the salary cap, as the Bruins are retaining 15 percent of his salary, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving revealed during his media availability Friday. He’s a strong, cerebral player who can play around 20 minutes per game, and solidifies Toronto’s defence corps going into the playoffs.
“Yeah, definitely a shocker when I heard that it was Toronto,” Carlo said to TSN’s James Duthie. “But then it’s pretty instant that you can kind of look at the group that they got there. Auston Matthews, one of the best goal scorers, if not the best goal scorer in the game, facilitated by so much. So what an opportunity for me to go in there and try and help this group win.”
Minten was the Maple Leafs’ second-ranked prospect and the 20-year-old should have a long career in the NHL as a defensively responsible centre, with some secondary offensive contributions. Boston is accelerating its rebuild after trading its captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, in a year where it doesn’t appear it can compete with the Atlantic Division powers.
Maple Leafs’ grade: A-
Bruins’ grade: B+
Penguins’ grade: B-
Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!
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