"Not only did the Bruins not get the Maple Leafs' first-round pick to complete the Brandon Carlo trade from 2025, Toronto actually won the lottery and will pick No. 1 overall. The Leafs now have the opportunity to draft top prospect Gavin McKenna, who could be an elite forward for a long time."
"The Bruins will eventually get a first-round pick from the Maple Leafs as part of the Carlo trade, but it won't be until 2027 or 2028. The B's do have their own first-round pick, though. The draft order after the lottery is not yet final, but Boston's first-rounder should be in the low-20s."
"If you were to make a list of the Bruins' top 10 prospects, it would be hard to put any defenseman on there. Maybe Frederic Brunet would be No. 9 or No. 10, but you could easily put a forward or two ahead of him. Simply put, there are no top-tier defenseman prospects in Boston's system right now."
"The Bruins have made three first-round picks and three second-round picks over the last five drafts, and only one of those selections was a defenseman -- Liam Pettersson from Sweden in Round 2 last year. The Bruins prioritized upgrading at center the last couple years, which was absolutely the right move given their lack of high-end talent at that position following Patrice Bergeron's retirement in 2023."
Toronto won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery and will pick first overall, giving the Maple Leafs the chance to draft Gavin McKenna. Boston does not receive Toronto’s 2026 first-round pick to complete the Brandon Carlo trade from 2025, and instead expects a first-round selection only in 2027 or 2028. Boston still has its own first-round pick, projected to land in the low-20s after the lottery. The Bruins’ prospect pool lacks top-tier defensemen, with only limited defensive prospects among the top names. Recent drafts focused on center, but the 2026 class contains many defense prospects that may be gone before Boston’s pick, making defense a key need.
Read at NBC Sports Boston
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