The Toronto Maple Leafs remaining 19 games over the next five weeks will have little or no meaning other than increasing the chances of the club retaining their first round draft pick by winning one of the top three picks in the NHL Draft Lottery or where the Boston Bruins will select in the top of the first round in Buffalo this June. The Leafs made a pair of deals on deadline day, swapping center Scott Laughton and winger Bobby McMann to Los Angeles and Seattle.
Along with the trade on Thursday of center Nicolas Roy to Colorado, GM Brad Treliving recouped five draft picks for two players on expiring contracts, and another who had a year left on his deal, but the general perception amongst the fan base and segments of the media is that the Leafs return for the trio was underwhelming.
Here are my grades on the three deals:
Nicolas Roy to the Avs for a 2027 conditional first-rounder, and a 2026 fifth-rounder
The Leafs in the deal recoup a pick in the first, after swapping their 2027 top pick in the deal with Philadelphia, along with Nikita Grebenkin for Laughton. The pick is top-10 protected, so unless the Avs undergo a collapse of epic proportions, the Leafs will be selecting somewhere in the top 32 in 2027. Toronto also gets the lowest of Colorado’s three picks in the fifth, giving them two picks in the mid-round of the upcoming draft in Buffalo.
There were four forwards traded at the deadline in deals that included first-rounders (Roy, Jason Dickinson to Edmonton, Nazem Kadri to Colorado, and Brayden Schenn to the NY Islanders). Toronto did not have to retain salary on Roy’s remaining term and the Leafs did not have to take salary back, whereas all the other forward deals had an aspect of either. Treliving got a maximum return for a player who is at best a third-line center, and after the acquisition of Kadri, will likely be a fourth-liner.
Grade – A+
Bobby McMann to the Kraken for a 2027 conditional second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick
The Leafs getting a 1st rounder for the big winger was likely the reason why the deal happened right up against the deadline, as Treliving may have been holding out for a club looking for scoring forward with limited cap space, but the lack of top picks available from contending or desperate teams like Edmonton worked against them. It is unknown whether Toronto was willing to take back Andrew Mangiapane and his $3.6 million cap hit in a deal with Edmonton, but the return of a high second round pick (the lower of either Winnipeg or Columbus’s second) along with another 2026 pick, is better than Edmonton’s first and taking back Mangiapane’s deal.
Grade – B
Scott Laughton to the Kings for a conditional 2026 third-round pick
When you take into consideration that just 12 months ago Treliving gave up a 1st and a decent prospect for Laughton, the lack of return for a center who can win faceoffs and plays with sandpaper seems criminal. But the package the Leafs gave up included 50% retention on his deal and another year on his contract. This time, Laughton was a pure rental. There was some thought that Treliving would trade one of the centers, but not both, but the Leafs cannot turn down assets if they did have any guarantee the GTA native would sign after the deadline.
Conditions on the deal bump it up to a second rounder if LA makes the playoffs, so Toronto fans should be rooting for the Kings to catch Seattle or Edmonton.
Grade – C+
