The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Brandon Carlo from the Atlantic Division rival Boston Bruins in exchange for 20-year-old center Fraser Minten as well as a first-round selection in an upcoming NHL Draft, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
The Bruins are retaining 15 percent of Carlo’s $4.1 million cap hit until until 2027.
The Pittsburgh Penguins also acquired Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar from the Leafs to help Toronto with their cap situation.
Through 63 appearances with the Bruins this season, Carlo has scored once and added eight assists for nine points coupled with 24 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating. On the season, Carlo ranks fifth among Boston defensemen in averaring 18:48 ice time per game.
Originally chosen 37th overall by Boston in the 2015 NHL Draft, the 28-year-old native of Colorado Springs, Colo., has spent nine seasons and 617 career contests with the Bruins in which he has tallied 29 goals and 80 assists for 109 points. In 2019-20, Carlo reached a career-high 19 points counting four goals and 15 assists coming in 67 outings. Carlo has also added 14 points counting five goals and nine assists through 72 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Per PuckPedia, Carlo is in the fourth year of a six-year contract that carries a $4.1-million annual average value.
Carlo’s acquisition by the Maple Leafs follows an earlier deal Friday that saw the club add center Scott Laughton plus fourth- and sixth-round draft picks from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a conditional first-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft as well as right winger Nikia Grebenkin. Through 60 appearances with the Flyers this season, Laughton has collected 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points.
For Minten, the Vancouver native joins the Bruins following 15 appearances with the Maple Leafs this season in which he tallied two goals and two assists for four points. Minten also added 13 points counting six goals and seven assists through 26 games with the minor-league Toronto Marlies. Minten was originally chosen 38th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2022 NHL Draft.
On the season, the Maple Leafs sit 38-21-3 and two points back of the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers for top spot in the Atlantic Division. Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs will look to return to the win column when the club retakes the ice Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.
