The Boston Bruins lock in a key member of their forward corps before training camp kicks off.
Fraser Minten signed a 7-year extension worth $50.4 million on Tuesday. In his first full season with the Bruins last year, he put up 35 points in 82 games.
General manager Don Sweeney gets Minten at an annual cap hit of $7.2 million throughout his contract. He’s excited to see what Minten will be able to do for Boston in the years to come.
“Since joining our organization, Fraser has continued to grow and earn the accelerated trust of his teammates and coaching staff,” Sweeney said in a statement.
“His hockey sense, competitiveness, responsible two-way game, and offensive growth make him a valuable player for our group. This is a mutual long-term commitment that reflects our confidence in Fraser and the important role he will play, as well as Fraser’s belief in our team moving forward.”
Boston is betting on their projection of Minten based on 107 games of NHL experience. The Bruins feel it’s a wise investment before the salary cap rises. Therefore, this bit of business is one they wanted to address as quickly as possible.
Minten continues to prove himself
After being taken 38th overall in 2022 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Bruins for a 2026 first-round draft pick and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick (Vashek Blanar), in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo.
As Minten settled in with the Bruins, he was a force to be reckoned with. Minten led all NHL rookie skaters in plus-minus (+21) and ranked second on Boston’s roster last season.
He was also named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in January. That month, Minten led all NHL rookies in goals (8) and was tied for the lead in points (14).
According to Money Puck, Minten spent most of the 25-26 season with wingers Murat Khusnutdinov and Mark Kastelic. They had a 54.9% expected goals for when on the ice together.
Head coach Marco Sturm will evaluate his team over the next few weeks. However, that may be a line Bruins fans could see in October.
More to show offensively as the new contract starts
While Minten put up a career-high in goals (17), assists (18), and points (35), there seems to be more offense that the Vancouver, British Columbia, native can generate.
The Bruins are going all in on the forward they took from the trade involving Carlo.
Minten was acquired the same day that the Bruins traded former captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. The two are dissimilar. Nevertheless, the Bruins will want a return on investment in who Minten becomes in the NHL after trying to bring in talent after losing Marchand.
He’s done all he can at this point for a 22-year-old who just signed his first extension. Now it’s up to him to rise through the ranks of the Bruins lineup. Sturm will need to sort through what he thinks will work long-term.
Minten had glimpses of getting to play with David Pastrnak last season. If he were to establish solid chemistry with the goal scorer, then he may be in line to take over a top-six role.
The Bruins could certainly see Minten take over the second-line center role during camp and be a solid playmaking forward in the lineup.
He played on the power play some last year as well, and should that role increase for him it would raise his confidence level.
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Bruins wise to extend Fraser Minten with seven-year contract