Despite their strong performance, the Bruins do not have a selection in the first three rounds of the
2024 Entry Draft, a first in franchise history, unless GM Don Sweeney makes a trade to secure an earlier pick. Here’s a look at the transactions that led to this situation and how those trades have unfolded.
Seventh Round Pick (218th) – Traded Feb. 22, 2022
Boston traded their 2024 seventh-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for the signing rights to Michael Callahan. The Coyotes later traded this pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Troy Stecher on Mar. 7, 2024. Meanwhile
, the Bruins signed Callahan, who has been playing as an alternate captain for the Providence Bruins during the 2023-24 season. After a collegiate career at Providence College where he served as team captain, Callahan has posted 27 points in 140 AHL games. He is now a restricted free agent.
Third Round Pick (90th) – Traded Feb. 23, 2023
Boston traded Craig Smith, a 2023 first-round pick (Easton Cowan, 8th overall), a 2024 third-round pick (90th), and a 2025 second-round pick to the Washington Capitals. Additionally, Boston traded a 2023 fifth-round pick (Melvin Strahl, 156th overall) to the Minnesota Wild.
In return, the Bruins received Garnet Hathaway, Andrei Svetlakov’s signing rights from Washington, and Dmitry Orlov at half salary from Minnesota. This deal aimed to bolster the Bruins for a strong playoff run, but despite finishing the season with a record-setting 65 wins and 135 points, they fell short. Hathaway and Orlov contributed 16 points combined in the regular season and 9 in the playoffs but both left in free agency. Meanwhile, Svetlakov remains in the KHL.
The Capitals traded the 2023 first-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Rasmus Sandin, who became Easton Cowan, a standout in the Ontario Hockey League. The Wild used their pick to draft goalie Melvin Strahl, who is now playing junior hockey in Sweden.
Second Round Pick (58th) – Traded Mar. 19, 2022
In a major trade, Boston sent a 2022 first-round pick (Nathan Gaucher, 22nd overall), a 2023 second-round pick (Damian Clara, 60th overall), and a 2024 first-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Hampus Lindholm at half salary and Kodie Curran.
Lindholm signed an eight-year, $6.5 million annually deal upon arriving in Boston. He had a stellar first full season, leading the NHL with a plus-49 rating and scoring a career-high 53 points. Curran, now an alternate captain for Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, has spent the last two years in Russia.
The Ducks selected Nathan Gaucher, who just completed his first AHL season with 25 points in 72 games. Damian Clara, an Italian goalie, remains unsigned and is playing in the SHL in Sweden.
First Round Pick (25th) – Traded Mar. 2, 2023
Boston traded their 2024 first-round pick (25th overall, conditional) and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for Tyler Bertuzzi at half salary. Bertuzzi, a prolific scorer, joined Boston and recorded 16 points in 21 games and 10 points in 7 playoff games. After the season, he signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Maple Leafs, scoring 43 points and 21 goals in 80 games.
Historical Perspective
The 2024 Entry Draft will be the sixth time the Bruins will not have a first-round pick, previously happening in 1985, 1998, 2004, 2013, and 2018. Given the current state of their farm system, ranked 28th in the NHL by Logan Horn of The Hockey Writers, Sweeney needs to make strategic moves to infuse young talent into the roster.
For the Bruins to remain competitive during David Pastrnak’s eight-year contract, they must continually develop NHL-caliber talent like John Beecher, Mason Lohrei, and Matthew Poitras. While trading draft capital for immediate help can be beneficial, it often leads to challenges in maintaining a competitive edge long-term, exemplified by making their first pick in the fourth round this year.
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