Bruins' under-the-radar trade might be a bigger deal than anyone realized

Victor Soderstrom could stay in Sweden after a breakout season, leaving the Bruins with a trade chip who may never report.

A trade that’s already raising quiet doubts in Boston

The Bruins made a move this week that, on the surface, looked routine.

They sent Ryan Mast and a fifth-rounder to Chicago and got back Victor Soderstrom, a former first-round pick who never quite stuck in the NHL. Then they got him under contract a day later.

Simple enough.

But now? There’s real doubt he ever pulls on a Boston jersey.

Soderstrom just came off a terrific year in Sweden. He didn’t just play well, he owned it. Skating for Brynäs IF, he notched 37 points in 49 games, posted a +28 rating, and won the Salming Award as the league’s top defenseman.

That’s no small thing.

And that success may have shifted his focus away from North America for good.

His development path was never a straight line

It’s been a weird road for the 23-year-old blueliner. Drafted 11th overall by Arizona in 2019, the expectations were sky-high. He came over after some time in Sweden, looked decent with Tucson in the AHL—ten points in 32 games—and even picked up a pair of assists in his first few NHL appearances.

Then the stall began.

The Coyotes gave him 16 games one year. Zero points. The kind of stat line that doesn’t get you a longer leash. Yet down in the AHL, he kept producing—19 points in one stretch, 32 in another. It never quite translated upstairs.

After the Coyotes’ relocation to Utah, Soderstrom went back home.

Blackhawks had him, briefly

Chicago brought him in during the 2024-25 season. You’d think it was with some intention to get him back on NHL ice. Instead, he was flipped to Boston. Quietly. No pressers. No real reaction.

And that’s the thing, when a team trades a player just after a dominant year in Europe, it usually means something’s off. Either they weren’t sold… or they knew he wasn’t coming back.

Worth the swing, but don’t hold your breath

The Bruins didn’t give up much. It’s a small swing. 

But if—if—he brings his SHL form with him? That’s a serious boost to the Bruins' blue line. Especially for what they paid.

Until then, though, it’s just paper. And paper doesn’t win games.