For the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is pressure every season to do well in the playoffs. That leads to risky deals with trade deadlines. Sometimes they make sense. Sometimes they look better on paper than on the ice. As time goes by, a few recent trades deserve a second look.
At last year’s deadline, the Maple Leafs went all-in. In a few moves, they sent Fraser Minten, prospect Nikita Grebenkin, a fourth-round pick in 2025, and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to acquire Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton, returning the late-round picks.
Fraser Minten was a young center they should have kept
Minting is probably the hardest loss for Maple Leafs fans. In his first full season with Boston, he started slowly. However, he recently started producing. He has now scored eight goals and recorded 17 points in 42 games. He is also at +8 in plus/minus. What’s special about him is his intelligence, both on and off the ice.
On the ice, it makes him the kind of center who can handle defensive responsibilities, play physical and provide secondary scoring for the Bruins for years to come. Losing him means the Maple Leafs will have to give up a potential 20-goal, 45-point center-six midfielder just as he’s starting to find his feet. They also moved a 2025 fourth-round pick and a top-five protected 2026 first-rounder. That’s a high price to pay for something that didn’t really pay off.
Even with the protection in the top five of the 2026 first round, you have to wonder if it could have been flipped for a better return – or held on to help replenish the prospect pool. The loss of Minten alone makes this transaction feel like a setback.
Brandon Carlo was brought in to stabilize the blue line. He has size and experience, but the $3.485 million cap hit feels heavy for a player who hasn’t consistently moved the needle. He looked solid at times last season alongside Morgan Rielly, but injuries limited him to just 18 games this year. The hope is that his return will help stabilize the situation.
Scott Laughton brings effort, versatility and reliability. He kills penalties, plays honest minutes and passes most nights. But the offense was not at the level you would want for the price paid. He’s useful, but he wasn’t what you’d call a difference maker. And he came from the Philadelphia Flyers with fourth round pick in 2025 draft and round 6 pick in 2027 draft for Toronto Maple Leafs for Nikita Grebenkin and round 1 pick in 2027 draft.
The Win-Now Gambit didn’t work
Combined, the two finishes were intended to give the Maple Leafs a chance to win last season. Once again they pressed the Panthers hard – and again it ended the same way. With the price of these trades being three high-value assets, including a first-round pick and a young center like Minten, it’s hard to see this as a long-term win.
The Maple Leafs made a clear bet last season: win now, even if it meant mortgaging the future. Minten’s development in Boston makes the trade between Carlo and Laughton feel even sharper in retrospect. They fit the same old Maple Leafs story. The Leafs chose urgency over patience, and that’s always a gamble. Without playoff success, this is the kind of bet that will stick.
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