Why Bruins' Fraser Minten contract extension is a smart bet for future originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
How much do the Boston Bruins like Fraser Minten?
We got a good answer Tuesday morning when they announced a seven-year contract extension for the 22-year-old center worth $50.4 million ($7.2 milion salary cap hit). Minten has one more year remaining on his entry-level contract, so this extension will begin in 2027-28 and run through the 2033-34 season.
“We are excited to have signed Fraser to a long-term extension,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said in a statement. “Since joining our organization, Fraser has continued to grow and earn the accelerated trust of his teammates and coaching staff.
“His hockey sense, competitiveness, responsible two-way game, and offensive growth make him a valuable player for our group. This is a mutual long-term commitment that reflects our confidence in Fraser and the important role he will play, as well as Fraser’s belief in our team moving forward.”
The Bruins acquired Minten as part of the Brandon Carlo trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March of 2025. He enjoyed a breakout 2025-26 campaign with career highs of 17 goals, 18 assists and 82 games played. He was the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in January and his plus/minus of plus-21 led all rookie forwards.
Minten has the potential to be a 55-65 point scorer in the near future. But his skill set is much more than offense. He is a very smart two-way player with good defensive instincts. He had a meaningful role on the penalty kill last season and did not look overmatched when playing against top-tier forwards.
The Bruins had a plus-18 goal differential, a plus-19 edge in scoring chances and a .933 save percentage during Minten’s 1011:55 of 5-on-5 ice time last season. Minten plays the game the right way. He’s well-positioned, doesn’t take dumb risks, moves well without the puck, etc.
He doesn’t project to be a No. 1 center, but he could be a solid No. 2 center in the near future, and if that outcome plays out, his $7.2 million cap hit will be a steal.
And that’s why this deal is a smart bet for the Bruins.
The league’s salary cap has gone way up in recent years and it’s projected to keep climbing at a consistent rate. The salary cap ceiling in the 2025-26 season was $95.5 million, followed by $104 million this coming season and a projection of $113.5 million in 2027-28.
The rise in the salary cap has led to some massive contracts being signed this offseason. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar recently signed an eight-year extension worth a record $20.4 million per season. The rising player salaries makes it more worthwhile for teams to lock up young players to long-term extensions earlier than they might have in previous years.
Minten isn’t worth $7.2 million right now, but he easily could be worth much more than that in the near future. It’s a risk worth taking for the Bruins because it’s better to pay Minten $7.2 million than well over $10 million if he becomes a real second-line center.
The league has seen two different recent examples of how teams have handled the rising cap.
The Montreal Canadiens have handled it almost flawlessly. They have drafted, traded and developed very well over the last five to seven seasons, building a tremendous young core of Nick Suzuki (trade), Cole Caufield (draft), Juraj Slafkovsky (draft), Ivan Demidov (draft) and Lane Hutson (draft). Each of these five players have signed long term for under $9.2 million per season. Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky all have a cap hit under $7.9 million. Starting goalie Jakub Dobes begins a team-friendly three-year extension with a $5.3 million cap hit in 2027-28.
The Canadiens were aggressive in signing their good young players early and taking that risk. It already has, and should continue to pay huge dividends for them. They are set up to win for a while.
The Anaheim Ducks have not handled their core in a similar fashion. They didn’t extend center Leo Carlsson early enough and he signed a five-year offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers this summer worth $18 million per year over the next five seasons. The Ducks matched the offer sheet to keep Carlsson, and now have to pay $18 million — or 17.3 percent of this season’s cap — for a 21-year-old forward who tallied 67 points last season.
The Ducks also have a 41-goal forward in Cutter Gauthier who’s still a restricted free agent with the regular season starting in three weeks. They didn’t sign him early, either, and it’ll likely cost them.
Anaheim’s situation is one that other teams should do everything to avoid. Drafting and developing at a high level is fantastic, but it’s often hard to pay everyone in a hard-cap league and still have enough flexibility to build enough depth to be a long-term contender.
There are some situations where a player is going to get huge money right away. The San Jose Sharks signed superstar center Macklin Celebrini to a five-year extension worth $18.8 million per season back in July. Celebrini just tallied 115 points in his second pro season and is already one of the league’s best players.
But in other cases, with players who don’t immediately jump to a top-tier level in their first two seasons, it makes sense to pay them early and try to save on the salary cap later in the deal.
There is risk for the Bruins with the Minten deal. If he only ends up being a two-way center who posts 40-50 points per season, then it won’t be an amazing contract. But the potential rewards far outweigh the potential risks, which is why the Bruins were smart to take this swing on a young player they very much believe in.
