The NHL trade deadline is just under three hours away, and the Boston Bruins have made their first deal of the day.
In a prospect swap with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston is sending forward Brett Harrison and defenseman Jackson Edward to Philly in exchange for forwards Alexis Gendron and Massimo Rizzo.
Neither package is going to do much to improve the either NHL team, as none of the players involved in the trade have made their NHL debuts yet.
Harrison is the player with the highest potential of the group; he was picked in the third round by the Bruins in the 2021 NHL Draft. Edward and Gendron were both seventh rounders in 2022, and Rizzo a seventh rounder in 2019.
Bruins Acquire Two Prospects in Deal With Flyers
Boston acquires Gendron and Rizzo, who were both relatively low in the ranks in the Flyers system.
Gendron, 22, played four seasons of junior hockey in the QMJHL before turning pro in 2023. He had a great 2022-23 season with both Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and the Gatineau Olympiques, posting 55 goals and 26 assists in just 63 games. He’s a goal-scorer at his core, with a wicked shot that should make an impact for the Providence Bruins to finish the season.
In 47 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, he has 10 goals and 12 assists.
Rizzo is a Canadian product, though he played college hockey at the University of Denver for three seasons. He was a collegiate standout as a Pioneer, posting 39 goals and 87 assists in 107 games for Denver.
He played his first full professional season with the Phantoms in the AHL, though he did regress to the Flyers ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals this season. He has six goals and 16 assists on the season.
It’s a depth deal for Boston, which wasn’t expected to be big swingers at the deadline. This move proves that the Bruins may be looking to stand pat at the NHL level while toying around with some prospects.
Bruins Give up Two Prospects in Deal With Philly
The Bruins are sending two Canadian prospects in Brett Harrison and Jackson Edward to the Flyers in the deal. At face value, it does look like Boston is giving up more than what it received from Philly.
Harrison was a former third-round pick, who has faltered in his three seasons of professional hockey. In 139 games with the Providence Bruins, Harrison only has 19 goals and 29 assists, and has been relegated to a bottom-six AHL forward. Though he may never have made it up to Boston, he was a good organizational depth piece the last few years.
Edward has bounced between the AHL and ECHL in his two seasons of pro hockey in the Bruins system. He’s played 40 games fro Providence and 28 for the Maine Mariners in the last two seasons. A defensive defenseman, Edward only has 2 goals and 14 assists in his career.
The Bruins have a few more hours to strike a deal at this years’ deadline. With reports coming out that Boston would be a “cautious buyer” there is some belief that they’ll get a deal done at the NHL level.
Bruins Acquire Two Prospects in Trade Deadline Deal With Flyers