Toronto Mape Leafs: The Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton trades were mistakes

The Toronto Maple Leafs, now 3–4–1, got outclassed by the Buffalo Sabres (yes, those Buffalo Sabres) last night. They haven’t played a complete game all season, their defence looks nothing like it did last year, and they can’t find a single forward line they like.

As one of the oldest teams in the league, this fall-off is terrifying. There’s no guarantee guys like Chris Tanev or John Tavares are going to get back to last year’s level of play. At their ages, the decline can come quickly and without warning.

What makes this situation so, so much worse is the fact that the Leafs spent three of their four top assets at last year’s trade deadline for guys who are… okay? Maybe?

Let’s discuss.

The year to go all in

There’s no question that last year was the year to go for it in Toronto. The Leafs were in first place in the Atlantic Division at the time of the trade deadline and wound up winning it. Their goaltending and back end were the steadiest they’ve ever been in the Auston Matthews era, and their new coach’s system seemed to be working.

There are no complaints from me on that end; it was absolutely the right move to spend and spend big last year.

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning also loaded up. The Panthers sent a first-round pick to the Boston Bruins for Brad Marchand and another first plus Spencer Knight to Chicago for Seth Jones.

The Lightning received Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken for two first-rounders and a second, plus got back Yanni Gourde for a fourth.

The rest of the Atlantic forced Brad Treliving’s hand. The Leafs had to put all their chips on the table and go for it because winning the division was so important. Leafs Nation would not have been happy watching Tampa and Florida load up while the Leafs didn’t. But looking back, it was probably the right move.

The Carlo trade

At the time, most Leafs fans loved the deal that sent a 2026 first-round pick and Fraser Minten to Boston for Brandon Carlo. 

Toronto had an obvious hole on the right side of their top-four and needed someone to come in and play beside Morgan Rielly. With not too many defencemen available, the Carlo move was a bit of a surprise. But the idea behind it was sound, and Leafs fans knew it.

But Carlo has not been who a lot of us thought he would be. He’s big, but he’s not exactly physical. He’s defensively sound, but he’s absolutely not a shutdown blueliner, still giving up space around the net and losing track of passing lanes. Carlo is not a bad player by any means, but he’s more of a fourth or fifth defenceman.

The assets going the other way

The Leafs spent two of their greatest assets in this deal, and I have a feeling it’s going to hurt for a long time. Minten is already the every-night 3C in Boston, and while he’s struggled so far this season, he’s going to be a really good NHLer. His only goal so far was an OT winner, one that hurt to watch if I’m being honest. Minten cares and showed it in his celebration. He’d be a really nice guy to still have in the organization.

And as the Leafs struggle, it’s difficult not to think about the Bruins owning their pick this year, and it only being top-five protected. If this struggle continues, and the Leafs end up in a wild card spot or even missing the playoffs, that pick is going to be in the mid-to-late teens. It could be a lottery pick, and that would be absolutely crushing.

Personally, I’d redo this trade in a heartbeat. It’s easy to say now, after we all watched how last season ended, but Treliving should have seen it coming. I wonder if Boston wants Carlo back, maybe for a young 3C and a first-rounder. 

The Laughton trade

Unlike the Carlo trade, Leafs fans correctly saw the Scott Laughton deal as an overpay from the start. Thanks to the deal, Toronto does not have its first-round pick in 2027, or one of their top-five prospects from last year, Nikita Grebenkin.

This one is simply a bad trade, where the Leafs overpaid for a bottom-sixer who has scored over 13 goals once in his career because of “grit” and “passion.” 

It’s not Laughton’s fault, and I actually quite like him as a player. He’s a hometown guy who plays hard for the crest on his jersey and looked pretty good in the playoffs.

But there was no need to pay so much for a guy who will never sniff a top-six role. Brad Marchand went for less than Laughton, and yes he was a rental, but sometimes that’s valuable! The Leafs paid extra because of the term left on Laughton’s contract and retention. If he were a rental, he’d go for what, a third or fourth-round pick instead? 

This was a brutal trade at the time and a brutal trade still. The price Toronto paid didn’t make sense last year, and it’s a warning to other teams not to overpay just because someone has years left on their contract. Laughton played 33 total games for the Leafs last season with two goals and six points. Grebenkin could have done that himself! 

A bad spot

Needless to say, these two deals have really put the Leafs in a weird spot. They can’t really go all in again, but they also don’t have their own first-rounders to replenish their assets. 

As the team looks worse than they have in almost a decade, it’s scary. The aging group could be nearing the end of their peak, and they will have nothing to show for it. They can’t tank, not that they were ever going to, but they’ve pigeon-holed themselves.

Toronto has no choice but to figure it out, or Boston and Philadelphia are going to be thanking us for years for the 2025 trade deadline.