Bruins Trade Frank Vatrano To Panthers For 2018 Third-Round Draft Pick

The Boston Bruins are staying busy ahead of Monday’s NHL trade deadline.

The B’s have traded forward Frank Vatrano to the Florida Panthers for a 2018 third-round draft pick, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Vatrano, a Massachusetts native who played his college hockey at UMass, had been used sparingly this season. The 23-year-old appeared in just 25 games for Boston this campaign, tallying just two goals in that span, and hadn’t played since Feb. 6.

Vatrano flashed impressive goal-scoring ability at times during his Bruins tenure, though. He tallied 18 goals in 83 games prior to the 2017-18 season. The forward broke into the NHL during the 2015-16 season after scoring 36 goals in 36 games for the Providence Bruins.

The move comes just a few days after the B’s acquired defenseman Nick Holden from the New York Rangers in exchange for a third-round pick.

The NHL trade deadline is Monday at 3 p.m. ET.