By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
The Boston Bruins are chasing a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the same can’t be said for two teams in the National Hockey League: the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. While the Bruins hold the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card seed ahead of their game tonight against the New Jersey Devils, the Maple Leafs and Panthers are at the bottom of the conference.
Not many would have predicted the Maple Leafs and Panthers would be out of playoff position at this point of the season, considering the Maple Leafs have made the playoffs every year since 2017, and the Panthers have won the last two Stanley Cups. However, from a Bruins perspective, both the Maple Leafs and Panthers’ struggles this season give the team high optimism because of draft capital.
Starting with the Maple Leafs. Last season, the Maple Leafs made a trade with the Bruins to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo in exchange for forward Fraser Minten, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, and a 2026 first-round draft pick. The 2026 first-round draft pick the Bruins acquired in the trade was top-five protected. Even with it being top-five protected, this trade has been heavily one-sided all season in favor of Boston.
Minten has been outstanding this season as a rookie. Minten’s 30 points are the eighth-most on the Bruins roster. Also, not only is Minten’s point total the eighth-most among all NHL rookies, but his +18 rating leads all rookies as well. Not many rookies can make an impact immediately on an NHL roster, but Minten has done just that. Minten had one of his top moments this season happen in the Bruins’ last game when he scored a shootout winner in round nine against the Washington Capitals two days ago.
While Minten is thriving in Boston, the Maple Leafs have struggled this season. As of now, the Maple Leafs are 13th overall in the Eastern Conference. Carlo has played just 45 games this season and has recorded eight assists. Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was recently shut down for the remainder of the season due to a Grade 3 MCL tear after being hit knee-on-knee by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas four days ago.
With Matthews shut down, the Maple Leafs could fall further down the standings, but the team can’t necessarily “tank” as the Bruins own the team’s first-round draft pick. Although the Maple Leafs’ 2026 first-round draft pick is top-five protected, the pick can still land somewhere in the top ten. That can allow the Bruins to own an important draft pick and draft a player with top-ten talent to build for the future at the 2026 NHL Draft.
For the Panthers, the team has disappointed this season as not only the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, but also the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions. As of now, the Panthers are the worst team in the Atlantic Division and are 14th overall in the conference. A huge down season after winning another Stanley Cup.
Last season, shock waves went around the NHL when the Bruins traded their former captain, Brad Marchand, to the Panthers in exchange for a 2027 conditional second-round draft pick. The draft pick could’ve turned into a 2027 first-round pick had the Panthers won two playoff rounds, and Marchand played in 50 percent of the Panthers’ 2025 playoff games. Long story short, the Bruins got what they needed with the Panthers winning the 2025 Stanley Cup and Marchand playing in all 23 playoff games to turn the draft pick into a first-round draft pick.
Not many would have predicted the Panthers to be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference at this point in the season, but they are. Sure, the Bruins don’t own the Panthers’ 2026 first-round draft pick, but the team’s struggles can give the Bruins optimism for next season. The Panthers may have another flat season next season, considering how this season played out with injuries to their superstar players, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Panthers also face uncertainty with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky being an unrestricted free agent this Summer. If Bobrovsky leaves after this season, the team could have a major issue with goaltending to have a good season next season. If the Panthers struggle again next season, the Bruins can get a more solid draft position to build on for the future at the 2027 NHL Draft.
Two Atlantic Division foes struggling this season have surely given the Bruins optimism for the future. The Bruins can land a solid draft pick over the next two drafts with how much of a struggle this season has been for the Maple Leafs and Panthers. Making the 2026 playoffs would make this season more special for the Bruins, but the team needs to get hot again with how close the Eastern Conference standings are.
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