By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter / X @RyanJBosworth
There’s no denying it: The Bruins have a logjam when it comes to centers. Elias Lindholm and Casey Mittelstadt are the most likely candidates to slot into the first-line and second-line positions. After the first two lines, the question arises – who slots in the third-line center position? The most likely answer is either one of Matthew Poitras or Fraser Minten.
Poitas, drafted in the second round of the 2022 National Hockey League Entry Draft, was the 54th overall selection in his respective draft, drafted by the Bruins. Minten, who was originally selected 38th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the same draft, came over to Boston via trade at the 2025 trade deadline, along with a 2026 first-round draft pick, in exchange for Brandon Carlo.
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Matthew Poitras, 21, made his NHL debut at the start of the 2023-24 season, when he earned a roster spot out of training camp. The Whitby, Ontario native showed a lot of promise early on in the 2023-24 season, and gave fans a reason to be excited for the future. Poitras would go on to appear in 33 games that season, before sustaining a shoulder injury that would ultimately end his season prematurely. In those 33 games, he would post 5-10-15.
In the 2024-25 season, Poitras would again earn a roster spot right out of camp. Looking to build on the promise shown during the previous campaign, the excitement was building for Poitras to have a bounceback year and slot into the third line. That wasn’t quite what happened.
Poitas was sent down to the Bruins’ American Hockey League affiliate Providence Bruins after some struggle in the NHL to continue to develop, where he would shine. He would go on to appear in 40 AHL games, and would post 17-24-41. Every time he’d gain traction in the minor league, though, it wouldn’t translate to the NHL.
Poitras plays the game with creativity, with the ability to find lanes and areas of the ice to move the puck. That makes him an extremely valuable piece down the middle. However, every player has their strengths and weaknesses. And for Poitras, his weakness comes in his size and strength.
Standing at 5-foot-11-inches, and weighing 180 pounds, he isn’t the biggest player on the ice. While that isn’t the worst size to have, considering a main focus of his has been gaining weight and building muscle, it’s a disadvantage, especially considering his role as a middle-six centerman. Opponents have also taken advantage of this weakness, noticeably targeting the 21-year-old center.
Minten also made his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season, playing four games, and he didn’t register a point. He would see more ice time in the 2024-25 season, appearing in 15 games with Toronto and six games with Boston. In his 15 games with Toronto, he would register 2-2-4. In his six games with Boston, he would register 1-0-1. Despite not being an avid scorer right out of the gate, he more than passed the eye test through his small sample size.
Minten, who stands at six-foot-two-inches and 195 pounds, is a lot harder to knock around. He knows how to use his body to his advantage, which is something Poitras struggles to do. While size isn’t something either player can control, strength is, and Minten definitely has some strength that Poitras hasn’t gotten (yet).
Beyond size and strength, the question arises: should Matt Poitras or Fraser Minten slot into the third-line center position? Based on what we’ve seen thus far, Minten has the edge over Poitras. He plays a better two-way game, shows areas of higher hockey I.Q., and has the edge over Poitras with his size.
Hockey writer Mick Colageo regarded Minten has a player with the hockey I.Q. that of a 35-year-old player, and that he “reminds him of someone.” Minten’s offensive production will need work, as Colageo stated, but he’s only 21. There’s been such a limited sample size of his game, we’ve yet to really see what his offensive production can be.
There will certainly be a battle at training camp, and either player could truly come out on top despite Minten currently having the edge. If Minten wins the third-line center role out of training camp, Poitras won’t necessarily get sent down to the minors.
There’s a scenario where Poitras could slot in on the wing alongside Minten down the middle. Poitras could take the creativity he plays his game with and pair it with Minten’s two-way game and the two together could prove to be very valuable on the third line.
The opposite of that situation is also possible, where it would be likely that Minten would slot in on the wing with Poitras down the middle, as Colageo noted. While it seems like the less likely possibility, anything is possible coming out of training camp.
Both players certainly have more developing to do, and over time, Poitras could prove to be the better player. But, as it stands right now, Minten would serve as a more reliable third-line center.
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