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Bruins are already reaping rewards of their trade-deadline teardown

Less than an hour after Don Sweeney and his staff ripped off the Band-Aid and dismantled a hefty portion of Boston’s depth chart, the Bruins’ GM stressed that said fire sale wasn’t the start of an arduous rebuild.

“You start to look at draft capital that we had been spending over a course of most of the years, it starts to take its toll. And you have to have a little bit of a step-back approach at times,” Sweeney said on March 7, 2025.

“Did we come in this morning knowing that we were making every one of these moves? No, but we were prepared if things that we would like presented. We didn’t burn it down.

“We have a lot of guys. Now a couple of those guys in particular are injured that are big, big players and pieces for our group. Now we have to do a better job of building around it and charting the course that says we’re back. And that’s the job.”

Sweeney’s confidence in Boston orchestrating a retool on the fly as opposed to a larger overhaul felt like a hopeful musing, especially given the number of players Boston shipped out over the span of a few days.

By the time the NHL trade deadline finally passed on March 7, the Bruins had executed seven trades in four days, moving lineup regulars like Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and captain Brad Marchand.

For Sweeney and a Bruins team no longer able to duck the inevitable bill coming due after years spent trading away draft capital, that deluge of deals in March stood as the best path forward to replenish a barren prospect pipeline and hit the reset button.

—

### A Season of Struggle Yields Promising Prospects

The subsequent plummet down the standings that spring helped Boston secure a top-10 pick, landing a potential franchise fixture for the future in Boston College center James Hagens, who has 11 points in 11 games this year with the Eagles.

But Hagens has been far from the only promising byproduct drawn out of a season of misery for the Original Six franchise.

As painful as it might have been for some Bruins fans to see Marchand hoist the Stanley Cup for an Atlantic Division nemesis in Florida this past summer, the Bruins’ total haul of picks, players, and prospects are already starting to offer plenty of promise for a team that seems to be ahead of schedule in said retool.

Here’s a look back at a few of Boston’s trade-deadline deals, many of which are already posting positive returns.

—

### To Edmonton: Trent Frederic, Max Jones
### To Boston: Max Wanner, 2025 Second-Round Pick, 2026 Fourth-Round Pick

Rather than sign a pending UFA in Frederic to a new long-term deal, Boston parted ways with the former third-line stalwart, with the top return being a 2025 second-round pick.

With that selection, Boston added another promising pivot prospect in Boston College center Will Moore, who has posted five points (two goals, three assists) through the first 11 games of his freshman campaign.

Moore has the makings of a dependable two-way forward in a middle-six grouping after a few years spent at Chestnut Hill.

Frederic, meanwhile, struggled to get going last season with the Oilers after returning from injury, scoring just one goal and three assists during Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Edmonton handed Frederic an eight-year, $30.8 million contract this summer, but the 27-year-old forward hasn’t exactly lived up to his billing as a pugnacious forward capable of delivering some scoring punch.

Over 20 games, Frederic has scored just one goal and posted zero assists while averaging 12:09 of ice time per game with the Oilers this year.

—

### To Minnesota: Justin Brazeau
### To Boston: Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, 2026 Sixth-Round Pick

After a dreadful showing with the Wild (one goal, two points in 19 games), Brazeau has rekindled his scoring touch this year with Pittsburgh, potting six goals and 12 points in 12 games so far.

But with Brazeau’s scoring production in Boston dipping as the calendar flipped to March (10 goals in 57 games), the Bruins opted to flip the pending free agent to the Wild, with the top return thus far being shifty forward Marat Khusnutdinov.

After toiling around in more of a fourth-line role with Minnesota, Khusnutdinov’s speed and puck skills have allowed him to elevate in Boston’s lineup as a useful cog for Marco Sturm.

The 23-year-old center has helped Boston absorb the loss of 1C Elias Lindholm over the last few weeks, scoring three goals and two assists over the last eight games, including a key tally in Saturday’s win over Montreal.

During the 74:21 of 5-on-5 reps that the Geekie-Khusnutdinov-Pastrnak line has logged together this season, Boston is outscoring opponents, 4-2.

Khusnutdinov will likely be bumped back down the lineup once Lindholm returns, but the shifty Russian forward doesn’t look like a fourth-line grinder moving forward.

—

### To Florida: Brad Marchand
### To Boston: 2027 First-Round Pick (after conditions met in 2025 playoffs)

The Bruins likely aren’t going to be “winning” this trade, not with Marchand playing an essential role in Florida’s run to a second-straight Stanley Cup title.

Boston does have another solid piece of draft capital to work with moving forward in Florida’s 2027 first-round pick, although that pick could eventually be pushed into a 2028 first-round pick if Florida’s 2027 selection ends up being a top-10 pick (as unlikely as that seems).

Ideally, the Bruins would have preferred having possession of Florida’s 2026 first-round pick given that the Panthers’ record so far this year has been relatively pedestrian (9-8-1), due to injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.

If the Bruins do exceed expectations this season, one has to wonder if Sweeney and Co. view a 2027 first-round pick by Florida as an expendable trade chip if they try to add talent at the trade deadline or during the 2026-27 campaign.

—

### To Colorado: Charlie Coyle, 2026 Fifth-Round Pick
### To Boston: Casey Mittelstadt, 2025 Second-Round Pick, Will Zellers

With a win-now Avs team desperate to add center depth behind Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado paid a premium to acquire both Brock Nelson and Coyle at the trade deadline.

Coyle posted 13 points in 17 games with Colorado during regular-season play but only scored one postseason goal as the Avs were bounced by Dallas in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

With Colorado needing cap space, they ultimately traded Coyle to Columbus along with Miles Wood this summer.

While Coyle’s tenure in Colorado was short-lived, Boston took advantage of a seller’s market by adding a roster player in Mittelstadt, a 2025 second-round pick, and a promising prospect in Will Zellers for the 33-year-old Weymouth native.

After an underwhelming debut with Boston in 2024-25, Mittelstadt has been a solid playmaking option on the second line with Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson when healthy, posting nine points over 15 games.

Signed through the 2026-27 season at a $5.75 million cap hit, the 26-year-old Mittelstadt could either hold court as a solid middle-six option or serve as a potential trade chip if he continues to produce steadily.

With that 2025 second-round pick (61st overall), Boston selected left-shot defenseman Liam Pettersson, currently skating for the Vaxjo Lakers in the Swedish Hockey League’s Under-20 division.

But the crown jewel of this sizable return for Coyle might be Will Zellers, a 2024 third-round pick who has significantly impressed over the last two years.

After earning USHL Player of the Year honors in 2024-25 (44 goals, 71 points in 52 games with Green Bay), Zellers’s scoring touch translated well to college hockey.

He has been one of the top freshman scorers on a sixth-ranked North Dakota squad so far this year, lighting the lamp seven times and adding four assists across 12 games.

While Hagens has the makings of a legitimate top-six center, Zellers has the motor and shot to develop into a 20-goal regular as part of Boston’s next crop of talent.

—

### To Toronto: Brandon Carlo
### To Boston: Fraser Minten, 2025 Fourth-Round Pick, 2026 Conditional First-Round Pick

Bruins fans banking on Boston getting involved in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes after that six-game losing skid might have to adjust their expectations.

But could the Bruins be a competitive club this season and still secure a top-10 pick in a very deep 2026 NHL Draft? It could happen — largely due to what looks like a lopsided deal struck between the Bruins and Maple Leafs in March.

When the Bruins sent a former top-four stalwart in Carlo to the Leafs, it looked as though Boston and Toronto were heading in opposite directions. That sentiment might have flipped just 20 games into this new season.

While the 12-8-0 Bruins currently sit atop the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs are just two points away from last place in the entire Eastern Conference.

Already hampered by the offseason departure of a top playmaker in Mitch Marner, Toronto’s defense and goaltending have seemingly imploded this year, ranking 31st in goals allowed per game (3.79).

Anthony Stolarz (.884 save percentage) has regressed in net, Auston Matthews is banged up, and Carlo has not fit the bill as a true shutdown option for Toronto’s thin defensive corps.

Even if it remains to be seen whether Toronto is destined for a top-10 pick this season, the Leafs don’t have many options to break this spiral given years of “win-now” moves have saddled them with a barren prospect pipeline and few available draft picks to trade for reinforcements.

As of Sunday, current odds on Tankathon have the 8-9-2 Maple Leafs landing the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, which would transfer to Boston.

The sixth pick would be the best-case scenario for the Bruins, as the 2026 first-rounder is top-five protected for Toronto.

Even if Toronto rights the ship somewhat, the Bruins are still well positioned to add another top prospect to their system in June as a direct result of a difficult season for Toronto, even if that first-rounder lands in the teens.

Boston also added an intriguing defenseman in Vashek Blanar with Toronto’s 2025 fourth-round pick. The 6-foot-5 blueliner showcased some of his playmaking poise during Development Camp this summer.

The Toronto trade is also paying direct dividends for the current Bruins team, as 21-year-old Fraser Minten is already looking the part of a middle-six stalwart moving forward.

A favorite of Marco Sturm already, Minten’s two-way acumen has made him a Swiss Army Knife for Boston, while his chemistry with Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic has turned Boston’s third line into a matchup nightmare.

The case can be made that a one-for-one swap of Carlo for Minten is already looking like a win for the Bruins—especially over the next few years.

If an overachieving Bruins team somehow also lands another blue-chip prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft thanks to Toronto, this deal could be a fleecing.
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-bruins/2025/11/16/boston-bruins-trade-toronto-maple-leafs-nhl-hockey-returns-fraser-minten-carlo-don-sweeney/

49ers have a ‘New-Name Defense’ scrambling to fill holes before Rams visit

SANTA CLARA — Three men walked into a bar. Or maybe they wish they did. Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, and John Lynch came together at midfield and gazed at the 49ers’ defensive players they had left for Thursday’s practice, under almost sarcastically sunny skies.

Of course, that unit presses on without Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams for the rest of this season. But two more defensive mainstays missed Thursday’s session: linebacker Dee Winters (knee) and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (hip). Also added to the injury report after limited duty were just-acquired defensive end Keion White (groin) and defensive tackle Kalia Davis (ankle).

Alas, more reinforcements could be needed on an ever-changing defense, one that must bond fast Sunday when the 49ers (6-3) host the Los Angeles Rams (6-2). Saleh, in his increasingly challenging encore as defensive coordinator, must orchestrate more magic than ever anticipated from a young and recalibrating defense. Call it a “New-Name Defense.”

So who’s surfacing now as the vocal leader, the enforcer, the turnover-forcing playmaker?

“That’s the exciting part,” Saleh said. “When we were here in ’17 and ’18, it was, ‘Who’s going to be next?’ You saw this little skinny linebacker named Fred Warner and nobody expected it to be him. Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, all those guys were so young, rose to the occasion, and made a name for themselves.”

That group is gone, except officially for Warner, who was in the 49ers locker room Thursday and in upbeat spirits while scootering around on his surgically repaired right ankle. Still, the 49ers are scouring to fill Warner’s on-field void.

The candidates?

“This group, being as young as it is, I wish I could tell you,” Saleh said. “I have an idea. I’m excited for everybody to take advantage of their opportunity and evolve the way we know they’re capable of.”

Bryce Huff, with a team-high four sacks, is expected to return from a hamstring injury and align on a frontline with last week’s newcomers, White and Clelin Ferrell.

Nametags wouldn’t be a bad idea at this point.

“Man, I’m terrible with names, so just trying to learn everybody’s name is big for me,” White said. “The guys in my room are really cool, real funny. It’s cool to get to know them.”

White gave no indication his groin issue is serious, and he praised Saleh’s “aggressive, one-gap, one-man” scheme. “Coach Saleh says, ‘Go be disruptive, play 100 percent and we’ll figure out the rest after,’” he added.

Ferrell chimed in, saying, “When you come in on a new team, you have, I don’t want to say more important things, but you have so many things you’re trying to learn. It comes with that awkward moment of, ‘What’s your name again?’ But it’s pretty normal.”

Their mission Sunday: keep Matthew Stafford from adding to his NFL lead of 21 touchdown passes.

Lynch, in his ninth season as general manager, defended the 49ers’ trade-deadline motives by pointing to his four earlier trades, from Huff’s arrival in June to White’s acquisition last week. Just because Tuesday’s deadline came without more help didn’t mean the 49ers overslept.

“We weren’t going to get fleeced. We weren’t going to overpay,” Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM. “It’s just not good business.”

And it’s just not a good pass rush or ball-hawking defense that is ushering the 49ers into the second-half push toward the playoffs.

Then again, Saleh’s defense has delivered timely plays, from win-clinching sacks in their first two games at Seattle and New Orleans to last month’s overtime win in Los Angeles, where a fourth-down stop ended things but only after Collins forced and recovered a fumble at the 1-yard line late in regulation.

Linebacker Tatum Bethune, who has a thigh issue ahead of his fourth start in Warner’s place, insists the leadership vacuum is being filled by all.

“We all come together to find out what we can do better together as a defense,” Bethune said. “After the game, we get on the plane, and we all stand up watching film, trying to correct stuff we could have done better in the game.”

**Health Updates**

Quarterback Brock Purdy remains limited in practice for a fourth straight week, and perhaps signaling another week on the sidelines, the 49ers had replacement starter Mac Jones address the media again Thursday. Center Jake Brendel (hamstring) was also limited.

Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) remained out but ran well on a side field.

Full participants were Jones (knee), wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder), left guard Ben Bartch (ankle), and cornerback Darrell Luter (Achilles).

The Rams upgraded wide receiver Puca Nacua (chest) and cornerback Darious Williams (shoulder) to full participants while wide receiver Jordan Whittington (back) was their lone player out.

**Extra Points**

Jones said of Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s 7th-leading receiver: “He’s super talented. I’d seen it from afar, but being on the field with him in OTAs and camp, he’s explosive. He trains all the movements. He gets open and catches the ball, the two vital parts of being a receiver.”

Return specialist Skyy Moore was saddened to learn former Western Michigan teammate and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide Thursday following a police chase. Moore said he and Kneeland were part of the same 2019 recruiting class.

Left tackle Trent Williams, a three-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowler, was surprised to learn he won the 49ers’ in-house nod as Offensive Player of the Week.

“When I walked into the O-line room, I got fined for being up there. That’s how I figured it out.”

Why has Williams never been the NFC Offensive Player of the Week?

“That’s a valid point. I’d like to hear the answer, too,” he replied.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/06/49ers-have-a-new-name-defense-scrambling-to-fill-holes-before-rams-visit/

Broncos Get Good News Amid Rumored Trade Deadline Plans

The Broncos could make a strong bid for a playmaker as the trade deadline approaches. Recent developments have brought good news for the team amid ongoing rumors about potential roster moves.

Fans and analysts alike are watching closely to see how the Broncos will position themselves in the market, aiming to strengthen their lineup and boost their chances for a successful season.

Stay tuned for more updates as details emerge regarding the Broncos’ plans leading up to the trade deadline.

The post Broncos Get Good News Amid Rumored Trade Deadline Plans appeared first on Heavy Sports.

https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/payton-paton-trade-deadline-saints-shaheed-pitch/