​The Boston Bruins defied expectations during the 2025-26 season, finishing with 100 points and landing in the playoffs, but the work was not going to stop there.Don Sweeney knew the Bruins had to get better. He set out to acquire speed and skill, and that is something that both he and Cam Neely called for in their end-of-season press conference. They also needed right-shot defensemen, as Charlie McAvoy was the only one who was still under contract and did not fall out of the lineup this past season.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThrough a flurry of trades and signings, the Bruins are in a better position than they were back in April, but so are the teams around them. Those moves started on draft day and continued through the July 1 opening of free agency. They may not be done yet, but for now, Sweeney has put pieces in place to make the Bruins an even more competitive team.Grade: AThe Bruins’ big move of the summer happened right before the first round of the NHL Draft got started. Sweeney packaged the No. 23 pick along with Florida’s 2028 first-rounder (top 10 protected) to land 24-year-old JJ Peterka, out of nowhere, from the Utah Mammoth. Landing in Utah just 366 days before the trade, the German-born forward finished last season with 47 points (25-22–47), down from 68 (27-41–68) in Buffalo the season before.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPeterka’s numbers dipped on the power play last season. He did not play on the power play as much as he did during his time in Buffalo, and he fell from 18 points to five. The Bruins’ power play started hot but cooled off later in the season; they still finished inside the top 10 but could not hold onto the top-three status they carried into the Olympic break.Peterka directly addresses the speed and skill the front office wants. He is young, and he fits into the competitive window alongside David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman, while also bridging to the younger core of James Hagens and Fraser Minten. He also replaces the 25-goal season that the Bruins got from 33-year-old Viktor Arvidsson, but Peterka can slot alongside Pastrnak on the top line if Marco Sturm sees the fit.The price, two (late) first-round picks, is not bad at all. The Mammoth traded pick No. 23 to Detroit, and they selected JP Hurlbert.Grade: C+During the sixth round of the NHL draft, the Bruins acquired undrafted forward Ivan Ivan. The trade was not a needle-mover by any means, but the Bruins let go of a former first-round pick for another depth option. Ivan has 49 career NHL games under his belt and spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with the Colorado Eagles.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn the other hand, the Bruins cut ties with Fabian Lysell. By making the trade, Sweeney provides the 2021 first-rounder with a fresh opportunity, as well as a chance that he did not get with Boston. He played four seasons in Providence and only dressed for 12 NHL games at the end of the 2024-25 seaso