Bruins finally know chances of getting extra 1st-round pick from Maple Leafs

TL;DR

The Boston Bruins have a chance to earn an extra first-round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs due to a trade involving Brandon Carlo. This pick is protected, meaning the Leafs retain it if it falls within the top five selections of the draft.

Key points

Boston Bruins are participating in the NHL playoffs
Bruins have a chance for an extra first-round pick
Pick is from the Maple Leafs due to a trade
First-round pick is protected if it's a top-five selection
Trade involved Brandon Carlo and Fraser Minten

Mentioned in this story

Brandon Carlo

Fraser MintenBoston BruinsToronto Maple Leafs

Bruins finally know chances of getting extra 1st-round pick from Maple Leafs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Bruins will be taking part in the NHL playoffs.

They've also got a decent chance of earning an NHL Draft lottery pick thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It's the pick that moved in the Brandon Carlo trade during the 2024-25 season. The Leafs sent a first-rounder and Fraser Minten to Boston in exchange for the defenseman Carlo.

That first-round pick for 2026 had a protection on it: If it ends up being a top-five selection, the Maple Leafs keep the pick.

If if ends up anywhere from No. 6 and beyond, the Bruins get to make the pick.

The Bruins have been watching from afar as Toronto's season collapsed. They likely thought at the time of the deal that the Maple Leafs would be a playoff team, which would mean the pick conveyed for sure but also that it would be in the bottom half of the first round.

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Now, the Bruins might not get the pick, but it could also end up in the top-10.

The Maple Leafs lost five of their last six games in regulation, and the other in overtime, to end up with the fifth-best lottery odds.

That's 8.5% chance of picking first, 8.6% for second, 0.3% for third and 24.5% for fifth. That leaves it at 56.2% of conveying their pick to the Bruins.

And specifically for Boston: The pick has a 44.0% chance of being No. 6 overall and 14.2% chance of being No. 7 overall. If the Bruins get the pick, it'll be one of those two spots.

That'd certainly be an exciting development in Boston.

Q&A

What are the conditions for the Bruins to get the Maple Leafs' first-round pick?

The Bruins can earn the Maple Leafs' first-round pick if it does not end up being a top-five selection in the NHL Draft.

What trade involved the first-round pick from the Maple Leafs to the Bruins?

The first-round pick was part of the trade where the Maple Leafs sent Fraser Minten and a first-rounder to the Bruins in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo.

When is the first-round pick from the Maple Leafs expected to be used?

The first-round pick from the Maple Leafs is for the 2026 NHL Draft.