Let’s look at this from a different perspective:
To keep it simple: if Florida’s 2026 first‑round pick lands inside the top 10, the Bruins will receive the Panthers’ 2028 first‑rounder (unprotected). If that pick falls outside the top 10 in both 2026 and 2027, Boston gets Florida’s 2027 first‑round pick. If it falls in the top-10 in 2027, the Bruins get their 2028 pick unprotected. Complicated for sure.
Most fans are eyeing that 2028 pick, convinced the Panthers will be a year older and potentially sliding in the standings by then. And sure, that scenario is possible — maybe even plausible. But if this season has taught us anything, it’s that projecting where a team finishes is rarely straightforward. Trying to forecast it two years out is essentially a guess. Let’s not discount the track record of Bill Zito; it’s hard to ever rule out the Panthers GM finding a way to keep his club in the mix.
Here’s how I see it: Don Sweeney is almost certain to revisit some of the deals he explored at the deadline — he has to. And that 2027 Panthers first‑rounder could carry real weight in those conversations, arguably more than a 2028 pick. Holding the 2027 selection also allows Boston to keep its own first‑rounder, preserving a first-round pick in each draft while still giving the Bruins a meaningful asset in any offseason deal.
Based on points percentage, the Panthers’ pick currently projects to land eighth — and even a lottery shake‑up can’t push it out of the top 10. Given their recent play and mounting injuries, climbing out of that range feels increasingly unlikely.
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I recently put together an NCAA “shopping list” for the Bruins, and one thing noticeably absent from that group was defensemen — largely because the 2026 Draft feels like the more logical place to address that need. That list did, however, include three goaltenders I’m particularly intrigued by, options that could free Boston to focus on other areas if they’re able to land one of them as a free‑agent signing.
And now there’s movement on that front. As Mark Divver reported on X, one of those targets — Merrimack’s Max Lundgren — is expected to attend Bruins development camp this summer. That doesn’t necessarily signal that a contract is imminent, but the Bruins are clearly aware of the need.
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In today’s rush‑to‑tweet news cycle, everyone wants to be “first” — and some are quick to boast about it. That dynamic was on full display when Sweeney announced that Dean Letourneau would return to Boston College for the 2026–27 season. But credit where it’s due: Court Lalonde of Bruins Diehards had this one months ago. Back in December, he spotted Letourneau working with his skating coach at a rink in Ottawa, and the coach made it clear the big forward still had areas to refine and was “100%” heading back to college next season.
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Like it or not, NHL teams build around what are essentially “scheduled losses.” They’ll look at a stretch of games — maybe six, maybe more, maybe less depending on the club — and identify the one matchup where the odds are stacked against them. It could be the second half of a back‑to‑back with travel, a brutal turnaround, or any number of situational disadvantages. The point is simple: some nights are uphill from the start. The scheduled loss.
Former NHL goaltender Martin Biron often points back to his days backing up Henrik Lundqvist with the Rangers, noting how he’d work with the coaching staff to take the “scheduled loss” so Lundqvist could handle the more favorable matchup. The logic is simple: you don’t risk dropping the game you should win by putting your backup in net.
The Bruins followed that blueprint this week, starting Jeremy Swayman against the Maple Leafs — the matchup they were positioned to win but didn’t — and turning to Jonas Korpisalo for the so‑called scheduled loss against Buffalo, which they ended up taking anyway.
In theory, it’s a great idea. But it doesn’t always work out.
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The NCAA season came to an end for Ryan Walsh this weekend after Cornell was eliminated, and his next move now becomes a storyline to watch. Sweeney noted he’s already spoken with several players still active in the NCAA Tournament. That includes Walsh. While the junior could return to Cornell for his senior year, the expectation is that the 22‑year‑old will sign an ATO with Providence to finish out the season.
The season also wrapped for Chris Pelosi and Elliott Groenewold. Pelosi is widely expected to turn pro in short order, and indications are that conversations on that front have already taken place. Groenewold, meanwhile, is projected to return to Quinnipiac for his junior year, where the belief is he can make the developmental strides best achieved in the college game.
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Conspiracy theories never really disappear — no matter how far‑fetched they sound — and hockey season always brings its own wave of them. This year’s favorite? The idea that Gary Bettman will somehow “fix” the draft lottery in favor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s worth remembering the process is overseen by Ernst & Young, a global accounting firm that generated more than $50 billion in worldwide revenue last year. So, ask yourself: why would a company of that scale jeopardize its reputation to tilt a lottery for the NHL? The league’s business with them barely registers against their global earnings, and there’s simply no incentive for them to risk it.
But that won’t stop the conspiracies.
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Fans are already eyeing a high‑end defenseman with the 2026 first‑round pick acquired from Toronto. The wrinkle, of course, is that the Bruins still don’t know when they’ll actually make that selection — the conditions on the trade leave 2026, 2027, or 2028 all in play.
Still, if the pick lands outside the top five, the Bruins will get to make that pick this year. Here are the top blueliners available: Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota, NCAA), Chase Reid (Soo Greyhounds, OHL), Alberts Smits (Jukurit, Liiga), Carson Carels (Prince George, WHL), Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert, WHL), and Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville‑Boisbriand, QMJHL). A few of the elite names at the very top of the class will be out of reach.
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Let me circle back to the point I made about the need to be first in today’s social‑media‑driven news cycle.
I always get a kick out of the posts on X that start with “per source,” only for the “breaking news” to be something the team itself announced on the same platform 15 minutes earlier. It’s the illusion of being first — after the story’s already out.
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Sweeney laid out the reasoning behind James Hagens heading to the AHL on an ATO, but fans are still questioning why Hagens would give up leverage by agreeing to it. If you want the player‑side perspective, take a look at Hagens’ agent, John Kofi Osei‑Tutu, in his interview on PuckPedia TV. The conversation on former Bruins goaltender Brandon Bussi is also interesting.
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This and That
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