Pittsburgh Penguins center Connor Dewar (19) shoots the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Leafs may regret deadline trade as former forward shines early with new team

Originally posted on Hockey Patrol | Last updated Mar 24, 2025 4:05 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs very well may live to regret trading prospect forward Connor Dewar, who is now thriving with the Pittsburgh Penguins since being acquired.

The Maple Leafs made a series of moves at the NHL Trade Deadline, which included sending Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a cost-cutting measure in order to acquire both Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo.

Dewar, who had just three assists this year while playing with the Maple Leafs, has already taken off with the Penguins. Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Dewar has four points in six games (3G, 1A).

Already, it appears as though Dewar is a much better fit with the Penguins, which begs the question — why couldn't he produce with the Maple Leafs?

Connor Dewar finally starts to show his talent; Toronto misses out

It was former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas who brought aboard Dewar along with Timmins to the Penguins, which allowed the Maple Leafs to free up that salary cap space necessary to acquire their new roster pieces at the deadline, perhaps a consolation after ruining their chances at Luke Schenn.

Dubas explained that he liked the "energy" and "spirit" that Dewar brings to the lineup and that the Penguins can benefit from it:

He brings life, energy and spirit," Dubas said. "As we continue to [rebuild the team], it's important to have those types of people here. We'll give him a good run."

Both Dewar and Timmins are restricted free agents after the year, meaning that Dubas will have a decision to make about their futures with the franchise. But for now, both players have fit in nicely.

In his time with the Leafs, Dewar had eight points in 48 games (1G, 7A) so it's a wild turnaround to score half of that already with Pittsburgh.

Did the Maple Leafs make the right call by giving up on Dewar, especially now that he's thriving in a new environment?

This article first appeared on Hockey Patrol and was syndicated with permission.

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