Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishBOSTON — The Toronto Maple Leafs are the top team in the Atlantic Division. They will be in the playoffs for the ninth straight season, the NHL’s longest streak. Had he remained with his draft team, Fraser Minten would have had no shot for a varsity audition, not with the Leafs hungry for first place in the Atlantic.Things have changed.Minten, the Leafs’ second-round pick in 2022, made his Boston Bruins debut in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He centered Marat Khusnutdinov and Vinni Lettieri on the No. 3 line. In 14:59 of ice time, Minten attempted two shots, won four of 11 faceoffs and kept the Hurricanes off the scoreboard during his shifts. Minten did nothing flashy. But he played a professional game away from the puck, using his legs to close rapidly and stretching out his stick to disrupt plays.“You can see there’s hockey sense in his game,” said interim coach Joe Sacco. “He was on the right side of the puck quite a bit tonight. I thought it was a good first game for him.”
A debut with the @NHLBruins tonight for Fraser Minten! 🐻 pic.twitter.com/UTYTFtsJ66
— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025The Bruins were officially eliminated from the playoffs Saturday. With points no longer a priority, Minten’s new club had no problem chucking him into the deep end. Minten felt the same way.“Never skated on this rink before,” Minten said before the game. “Never been in the city before. That’s all new stuff. So definitely lots of new things.”General manager Don Sweeney executed the Brandon Carlo trade with the Leafs because of the opportunity to ask for Minten. The 20-year-old center could grow into the Bruins’ next version of Charlie Coyle, whom Sweeney had traded to the Colorado Avalanche before making his deal with the Leafs. If and when Minten becomes a full-time NHL center remains to be seen.“Let’s go out and see what he can do in probably a little bit more of a defensive role at times tonight on the penalty kill,” Sacco said before the game. “Still, we want to see if he can make some plays at this level, the pace he plays with, the physicality, all the things we’re looking for in some of the young guys that are here right now.”Of all the franchise’s shortcomings, center could be the most significant soft spot. Pavel Zacha (45 points) will not approach last year’s career high (59). Coyle had 22 points, down from 60 in 2023-24, at the time Sweeney moved him to the Colorado Avalanche. Matt Poitras fell short of expectations this season.The shortcut Sweeney pursued in free agency by signing Elias Lindholm has six more years of what project to be expensive performance. Whether Casey Mittelstadt, acquired in the Coyle trade, is well-rounded enough to be a top-two center is unknown.In that way, the Bruins desperately need Minten to stick as a No. 3 center next year or 2026-27, even if offense does not become his calling card. Minten has three goals and four assists for Providence in 10 games. He will participate in the AHL playoffs once his NHL assignment concludes. Once he returns for training camp, Minten will compete with Poitras, among others, for the third-line spot.“I think they went out and got me because they thought it would translate well. I think it’s been doing that well so far,” said Minten. “Just being a guy who plays well on both sides of the puck, closes plays, transitions them and plays the reliable and consistent hockey the Bruins want to play.”In one way, a 10-game winless tumble was a hostile environment in which to place a prospect. The Bruins would have been wary of putting Poitras, for example, into this kind of situation.But in another way, the Hurricanes were an ideal opponent for Minten to show what he can do. They play with pace. They pressure pucks in every quadrant. Sebastian Aho (70 points) and Seth Jarvis (61) are high-end threats. If tight checking gets Minten a permanent varsity spot, the Hurricanes gave the center multiple opportunities to chase the puck. He held his own. The next step is turning defensive stops into offensive opportunities.“Just transitioning those plays into chances for,” Minten said of his next progression. “Getting a little bit faster, holding on to pucks and turning those disruptions into opportunities.”It’s been a busy first pro season for Minten. The Leafs recalled him from the AHL on Nov. 19, 2024. He appeared in 15 games for the varsity, scoring two goals and two assists. Minten was preparing to play Providence on March 8 with the Marlies when the trade happened. Visa issues kept him from switching uniforms and playing that day.“Kind of the whole taste of pro hockey in my first year, which is good to get the reps as a young guy and to understand how the business works,” Minten said. “Going up, going down a few times this season. Trying to figure out what you can to stick around, ultimately get to the NHL and stay there. Lots of good experiences. Definitely been helpful for my trajectory.”Minten was solid. David Pastrnak pumped three pucks past Frederik Andersen to hit 40 goals for the fourth straight season. Jeremy Swayman stopped 39 of 40 shots. The Bruins won for the first time since March 11.“A big weight was released from all our shoulders,” Swayman said of stopping the slide. “It’s a gratifying feeling to go through it, to finally get out of it and feel good about our game. So good to see the Garden happy again. That’s a feeling we’ve missed. It’s addicting. We’re not going to let that happen again.”(Photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
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