The action was happening almost simultaneously on the NHL’s opening night on Tuesday.
In one game, the Toronto Maple Leafs were on their way to a season-opening loss to the Montreal Canadiens. In another, Fraser Minten was scoring a crucial goal for the Boston Bruins.
The irony, of course, is that the Maple Leafs surely would’ve loved to have Minten out on the ice in their uniform instead.
But now moving further away from the trade that the Leafs made to send Minten to Boston, it’s continuing to look like one of those moves that simply won’t age well at all.
Fraser Minten Bruins Season Debut
Minten was crucial to the Bruins’ win over the New York Rangers on opening night.
The game was scoreless when Minten found the back of the net with just about four minutes to play.
Sportsnet wrote, “It was a dream start for Minten, who recently signed a new seven-year deal.”
The Bruins have now won 11 consecutive home openers, thanks in part to Minten.
He actually opened the floodgates, because his goal was the start of a 75-second span that also included goals by JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic (empty net) to make it a 3-0 win for Boston.
Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves for the Bruins to get the shutout.
And in a fun added tidbit, Minten’s goal was assisted by the Lindholm brothers, Elias and Hampus.
Why Maple Leafs Traded Fraser Minten
The Leafs made the deal with the Bruins on March 7, 2025.
Minten, 20 at the time, had put up two goals and two assists for the Maple Leafs in 2024-25.
They also sent a 2026 first-round draft pick, with some protections, to the Bruins, along with a 2025 fourth-round that Boston used on Vashek Blanar.
Boston sent then-28-year-old defenseman Brandon Carlo to Toronto.
Carlo played in 20 games at the end of the 2024-25 season and continued to be a part of Toronto’s defensive plans in 2025-26.
The problem, of course, is that Minten turned into a star, and that the Bruins still have a pick to use from that deal.
The selection was the one that would’ve gone to Boston if it fell outside the top-five in the 2026 draft. Instead, it landed at No. 1 in the lottery, and the Maple Leafs got Gavin McKenna — but that doesn’t stop the Bruins from getting a pick.
So instead, it’ll convey in 2027, and the Bruins will continue reaping the rewards of that deal as Minten scores goals in the present and they can still look forward to a future asset.
The Leafs no longer have the aforementioned Carlo. He now plays for the St. Louis Blues.
Fraser Minten Shows Maple Leafs Simultaneous Pain as Bruins Benefit