The Boston Bruins have confirmed the acquisition of forward Navrin Mutter, who arrives from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Dalton Bancroft and Massimo Rizzo. The move made noise around the NHL, as the trade deadline was last Friday, March 6. However, the move has now gone through. So, how is that possible?
It’s actually pretty simple. Mutter, Bancroft, and Rizzo have yet to make their NHL debuts, and it’s now guaranteed they won’t take their rookie laps in the 2025–26 season. The three players are in the AHL, and because the minor league will have its deadline on March 13, teams can still make moves. The Bruins and Predators did just that.
The only condition for making a trade is that the players involved can’t compete in an NHL game. Thus, although the latest move was confirmed by the Bruins and Preds, it involves players who will spend the final games of the campaign with their affiliates—the Providence Bruins and Milwaukee Admirals, respectively.
Bruins brace for playoff push
After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2024–25 NHL season, the mission for the Bruins was clear in 2025–26. However, the road to the postseason in the East is truly a bloodbath, and Boston finds itself in the midst of it all.
With fewer than 20 games left on their schedule, the Bruins brace for what’s set to be a frenetic home stretch of the regular season. Boston currently owns the last wild card spot, but it’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth. The fact that the Bruins haven’t won consecutive games since January does little to help their case.
Struggling to build momentum while many teams get scorching hot, it may as well be a lethal cocktail for an organization that took a rather shy approach to the NHL trade deadline. Now, Boston may be paying the price for it.