Maple Leafs GM Treliving Checks Off Boxes with Laughton, Carlo Acquisitions – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

With a number of teams competing for the playoffs making big time acquisitions to bolster their roster for their Stanley Cup run, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a big splash themselves before the 3 p.m. deadline. 

General manager Brad Treliving acquired Scott Laughton, a fourth (2025)- and sixth-round pick (2027) from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. The Flyers will also retain 50% of Laughton’s contract as his cap hit will be $1.5 million with the Maple Leafs for another season after this one as they gain more cap flexibility for the future. 

Trelving wasn’t done there as he acquired Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Fraser Minten, their first-round pick in 2026 and fourth-round pick in 2025. 15% of Carlo’s $4.1 million contract is also being retained as he’s signed for two more seasons after this. With that retention, his cap hit is now $3.485 million.

While it was a big price to pay for both Laughton and Carlo, they were ones that Treliving was willing to make and it checked off a lot of boxes. Laughton instantly bolsters the centre depth and you also get multiple picks in return and Carlo instantly becomes a steady shut-down fixture on the blueline. Ultimately, it was a win as the Maple Leafs made a number of strong additions.

Price Well Worth Giving Up for Laughton

Laughton has always been a target for the Maple Leafs, so it’s only fitting that he ended up with the team. Overall, the price to acquire Laughton was reasonable given the retention and what came back as well. There was a lot of nail biting on what the Maple Leaf gave up to acquire Laughton, given the prices of what other teams paid for earlier in the day. 

A first-round pick was going to be in play but it was the prospect going the other way that everyone was concerned about. With Grebenkin being that player, it instantly becomes a win for the Maple Leafs. As much of a fan favourite that Grebenkin was becoming, Treliving didn’t move his top prospect in Easton Cowan. The fact that he remains in the system, it could lead to potentially bigger deals in the future if and when the opportunity presents itself. 

Laughton brings exactly what Grebenkin does, but more importantly, he fills out the depth up the middle of the ice behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares and ultimately pushes Max Domi…