The Boston Bruins had a chance to make a top 10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft if they had gotten the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick, but Toronto won the draft lottery and will pick first overall.As a result, Boston will get the Leafs’ first-rounder in 2027 or 2028 to complete the Brandon Carlo trade from March of 2025. This also means the Bruins’ only 2026 first-round pick is their own selection at No. 23 overall. The Bruins really need a top-six center, particularly a No. 1 center. They don’t have one at the NHL level, although it’s possible that recent first-round picks James Hagens and/or Dean Letourneau could develop into that kind of player. The B’s also need a right-shot defenseman. If you look at Boston’s top 10 prospects, maybe one of them is a defenseman (Frederic Brunet). The rest are forwards. The organization needs more high-end skill on the blue line.Even though the Bruins have plenty of specific needs to address, they really should just take the best player available, regardless of position. Boston’s prospect pool came in at No. 19 on The Athletic’s most recent rankings, which is a great improvement from being ranked No. 30 in those rankings in 2025. But the Bruins still lack elite-level talent in their system, so if a player falls to them at No. 23 and he has a high ceiling, it’s worth taking a shot on him. They took a home run swing on Letourneau at No. 25 in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and two years later, that pick is looking very nice for Boston.Which players should the Bruins target in the first round? Here’s a roundup of predictions from recent expert mock drafts.Scott Wheeler, The Athletic: JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)“The Bruins haven’t used a top-50 pick on a defenseman since 2017, and I’m sure they’d consider Bleyl. But I’m not convinced he gets here, and if he doesn’t, I’m not convinced that Jakub Vanecek, Adam Goljer, Juho Piiparainen or William Håkansson fit in this range when there are likely going to be forwards who are hard to pass up on for their group. All of Hurlbert, Hextall, Novotný and Maddox Dagenais would give them a future top-nine forward with a different look from James Hagens and Dean Letourneau.”Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic: Casey Mutryn, RW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)“The Bruins keep the Boston College pipeline active. Mutryn, who will be a BC freshman, aims to become the next version of James Hagens. Mutryn is a different type of forward than the explosive Hagens, but he projects to be a dependable middle-of-the-lineup wing/center with a pro game.”Corey Pronman, The Athletic: Elton Hermansson, RW, Modo (Sweden)“Hermansson goes to the Bruins, who, after selecting James Hagens last year, continue to add talent and scoring to their farm system. Hermansson is extremely skilled, but his effort level can waver.”Mike Morreale, NHL.com: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec (QMJHL) “Dagenais (6-4, 196), the son of retired NHL forward Pierre Dagenais, is known for his strong offensive toolkit. The left-handed shot added a welcome layer of physicalit
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