The Fraser Minten contract extends him by the Boston Bruins for seven years, at an average annual value of $7.2 million per year. This deal makes him apart of the Bruins organization through the 2034 season. Minten notched 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 2025-26, playing in all 82 games and finished 10th in voting for the Calder trophy. The deal also includes a modified no-trade clause in his last two seasons.
Minten was selected 38th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He skated in 19 total games for the Maple Leafs across two seasons before being shipped to Boston along with a 2026 first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Minten skated in six games with the Bruins in the 2024-25 season before getting his first true shot this past season. His 35 points last season were the most by a Boston rookie since Jake DeBrusk in 2017-18, and Minten was also top five among Bruins players in hits (142) and takeaways (27). His 17 goals finished tied for fifth on Boston with Elias Lindholm, and Minten’s 35 points put him eighth.
Minten, however, has suited up for only 107 NHL games in his career. The Bruins are betting on what Minten could be, not what he is now. He is currently 22 years old and led all rookies in plus/minus, while ranking second among Boston players in the stat in 2025-26. The Bruins believe that Minten can improve on his solid rookie year.
Extending Minten is a great move, as it keeps a potential piece of the future core from leaving in free agency for nothing. $7.2 million per year, however, is a steep price. The AAV (Average Annual Value) ranks sixth among Boston players behind David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, Lindholm, and JJ Peterka. Minten’s contract is merely the latest in a trend that has taken the NHL by storm. It, however, is a worthwhile gamble on a young player with NHL experience.
If Minten can rise above that threshold and become a perennial 50-60-point player, that contract looks great. Think of Pavel Zacha. The Bruins traded for him from the New Jersey Devils, where he had topped out at 36 points. Boston gave him a four-year, $19 million contract after the 2022-23 season, an AAV of $4.75 million. Zacha’s lowest point total as a Bruin is 47 in 2024-25, which he topped with a career-high 65-point season in 2025-26.
If Minten, however, stays at or around the 35-point mark, this will be a bad contract, very similar to Lindholm’s contract. He’s currently making $7.75 million a year, and his highest point total in a Boston uniform is 48 this past season. Lindholm’s contract, however, was based on the assumption he could put up seasons closer to his last two campaigns with the Calgary Flames, where he put up 82 and 64 points respectively.
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) came to an agreement in January 2025 for more transparency with regard to cap space increases. The cap ceiling was expected to grow nearly nine percent in each of the next three years. So far, the projected upward growth has come to fruition. The cap ceiling has also gone up to $104 million, an 8.9% increase. If the 2025 projections are correct, the cap will be set at $113 million for the 2027-28 season.
Minten’s contract currently makes up 6.34% of the Bruins’ current cap space right now. That number, though, is sure to go down quite a bit if the NHL’s cap ceiling increases like it has the previous couple of seasons.
Many NHL franchises have responded accordingly. Most famously, Macklin Celebrini got extended for five years at an NHL record AAV of $18.8 million. Four days ago, the Vancouver Canucks signed Zeev Buium to an eight-year contract at an AAV of $9.38 million after 76 games played in his rookie season. 23-year-old Ville Koivunen received an eight-year extension from the Pittsburgh Penguins at a $4 million AAV after playing in 39 games in the show. Teams around the league have given massive extensions to young players, demonstrating their faith in these players to reach their perceived potential. Boston is finally adjusting to the rest of the league.
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The Bruins are putting a massive amount of faith in Minten. Of course, the 2026-27 season has yet to start, so no one knows for sure whether he’ll meet the same expectations of his contract. Boston, however, made a good decision by putting its trust in Minten, a strong NHL-caliber player who shows the potential to be a future top-six member for years to come.
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