The Bruins’ latest trade is already raising eyebrows, and not in the way fans might hope.
Boston just picked up Victor Soderstrom from Chicago for what seemed like pocket change – Ryan Mast and a fifth-round pick. They even got him under contract right away.
But here’s the catch: He might never show up.
The 23-year-old defenseman just wrapped up an absolutely monster season in Sweden. Playing for Brynäs IF, Soderstrom put up 37 points in 49 games and finished with an impressive +28 rating. He was so good, he won the Salming Award as the league’s best defenseman.
That’s like winning the Norris Trophy of Swedish hockey.
And that success might have him thinking twice about giving the NHL another shot.
It’s been a strange journey for the former first-round pick. Arizona grabbed him 11th overall in 2019, thinking they’d found their next star defenseman. He showed some early promise in the AHL with Tucson, putting up decent numbers and even grabbed a couple assists in his first NHL games.
But then things got stuck in neutral.
His next shot at the NHL? Sixteen games without a single point. Meanwhile, he kept lighting it up in the minors – scoring 19 points in one stint, 32 in another. But he just couldn’t make it click at the top level.
When the Coyotes packed up for Utah, Soderstrom headed back to Sweden.
Chicago picked him up this season, but something felt off from the start. They flipped him to Boston almost immediately, with barely a mention in the press.
Here’s the thing about trading a player right after they dominate in Europe: It usually means teams know something we don’t. Either the Blackhawks weren’t convinced he’d succeed in the NHL, or they knew he was planning to stay in Sweden.
The Bruins didn’t risk much here. If Soderstrom does come over and plays anywhere near his Swedish league level, they’ve struck gold. But don’t get too excited just yet – right now, he’s just a name on paper.
And paper doesn’t stop pucks.
