According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos, the Toronto Maple Leafs attempted to trade Brandon Carlo this past summer. As per his recent report, the Maple Leafs tried to trade the defenseman to the Buffalo Sabres, but unfortunately, the deal fell through. Here is what Kypreos said about the attempted trade.
Related: Maple Leafs 3 Up, 3 Down: Nylander, Matthews, Injuries & More
The Leafs did explore trading Carlo last off-season, but couldn’t get to the right deal. There’s a strong suggestion Toronto and Buffalo were in talks over having Carlo involved in a JJ Peterka trade and then moving towards a Carlo-for-Bowen Byram type of trade over the summer.
Maple Leafs Attempted to Trade Carlo
If these reports are true, the Maple Leafs had their sights set on some highly talented young players that could have made a big difference to the roster. First, Peterka is a very good goal scorer and has shown that through the first quarter of the season with the Mammoth. He has nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 23 games. However, he will likely be a 30 goal scorer this season, which would have been a great addition to the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
As for Byram, he would have been the power play specialist that the Maple Leafs have been lacking since Tomas Kaberle. He would have been on the first power play unit, and potentially even on the first pairing. So far this season, he has four goals and seven assists for 11 points, but he hit 38 points last season on a bad Sabres team. If he were to join the Maple Leafs where there is some high-end skill throughout the first unit, he could have hit 50-60 points in a season.
Related: 3 Teams the Maple Leafs Could Trade With In a Roster-For-Roster Deal
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out. But if they had, it would have helped Leafs Nation get over the bitter feeling of trading away not only Fraser Minten but also their first round pick in the upcoming draft. A draft pick that could land in the top 10 and belong to the Boston Bruins because of the trade. Unless that pick is in the top five, the Maple Leafs don’t own their pick. So, had they turned that Carlo trade into landing Peterka or Byram, it would have helped the fan base sleep a bit better at night. But sadly, things didn’t work out and Carlo remains a member of the Maple Leafs, at least for now.
