DENVER — Friday afternoon, Brandon Carlo was in the Tampa, Fla., sunshine, convinced he was going to remain with the Boston Bruins. The 28-year-0ld defenceman was on the phone with his wife, Mayson, as the clock was inching toward 3:00 p.m. ET and the NHL’s trade deadline was about to come and go.
“I remember making a comment that, ‘Maybe after 3 o’clock, I don’t know if they can even call me anymore,’” Carlo said. “I was wrong there, for sure.”
Minutes later, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney called Carlo, informing him that he had to pack his bags. He wouldn’t be joining the Bruins — the only team Carlo has ever played for — on their trip to Fort Lauderdale to play the Florida Panthers. Instead, he was headed north to Denver to join the Bruins’ rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“It was a tough call to have, for sure,” Carlo acknowledged, his eyes widening as he looked beyond the Maple Leafs dressing room, trying to process one of the more tumultuous days of his NHL career.
After the call, the Colorado Springs native packed his bags to return to his home state. His father, Lenny, dropped his plans to head to Ball Arena and provide a familiar face on the most unfamiliar of days.
“He was giving me some eyes in warmups, like, ‘Wow, this looks weird…
