Now that the NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, it’s time to look over what the Toronto Maple Leafs did yesterday to improve their team.
The day started off relatively slow, with other teams around the NHL making moves to bolster their rosters. The first three hours of the deadline had Leafs Nation stressing about what deals Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving would make. Flash forward to 12:52 p.m. EST, and Treliving pulled off his first deal.
Related: Grading the Maple Leafs’ Trade for Brandon Carlo
From then on, Leafs Nation was amped and ready for more. So, let’s dive into what the Maple Leafs did yesterday.
Acquiring Laughton From the Flyers
The first deal of the day, as mentioned before, came at 12:52 p.m. when the Maple Leafs sent Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick to the Flyers for Scott Laughton, along with a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. This trade also saw the Flyers retain 50% of Laughton’s $3 million cap hit, bringing it down to $1.5 million. He is signed for the rest of this season and next year as well.
Related: Grading the Maple Leafs’ Trade for Scott Laughton
The Maple Leafs were looking to acquire a third-line center, and Laughton fits that role perfectly. The Oakville native is returning home to play for his boyhood team in hopes of helping them win a Stanley Cup. When Laughton joined the Sportsnet Trade Deadline show, he spoke about cheering for Toronto as a kid. “They were my team,” he said. “I liked the tough guys — I liked Wade Belak and Tie Domi, Garry Valk, guys like Darcy Tucker and Shayne Corson. It was so cool going to those games and watching those guys. I was a Leaf fan growing up.”
Laughton was not only a fan favourite in Philadelphia but also a locker-room favourite. He will likely become both a fan and locker-room favourite again in Toronto.
Trading for Carlo From the Rival Bruins
From 12:52 until right up to the deadline, there was a sense that the Maple Leafs were working on something, but no one knew what. At 3:14 p.m., NHL insider Elliotte Friedman finally broke the news, sending shockwaves around the NHL. The Boston Bruins had traded their best shutdown defenseman to one of their biggest rivals. The Maple Leafs acquired right-handed defenseman Brandon Carlo in exchange for Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round pick (PHI).
Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs had to part with another promising young forward in Minten. But to upgrade, you have to pay the price, and Treliving did just that. Minten is going to be a great NHL centerman, but right now, Toronto is preparing to win and go all-in. Parting with young prospects is part of the process. For the Maple Leafs, this trade finally brought them a young, right-handed defenseman to play alongside Morgan Rielly, putting the finishing touches on a very solid blue line.
Salary Cap Dump to the Penguins
The last notable trade Treliving made quickly gained traction on X/Twitter when defenseman Conor Timmins was removed from team practice, sparking speculation. It was later announced that the Maple Leafs were sending both Timmins and Connor Dewar to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fifth-round pick (2025). The deal was purely a cap dump to ensure they could acquire both Laughton and Carlo while remaining under the salary cap. With this move, the Maple Leafs saved $2.2 million in cap space.
Related: Grading the Maple Leafs Trading Timmins & Dewar to the Penguins
The Maple Leafs also made a minor-league move, bringing in Reese Johnson from the Minnesota Wild. He will report to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. At the end of the day, Treliving saw what both the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning did to improve their teams and didn’t make a panic move. He stuck to his plan and added what he and his front office felt was needed to compete for a championship.
