Maple Leafs land Scott Laughton from Flyers, Brandon Carlo from Bruins in deadline deals
GM Brad Treliving filled two holes that needed to be patched up
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Kudos, Brad Treliving.
The Maple Leafs general manager had a goal to make his team better before the National Hockey League trade deadline on Friday afternoon, and he accomplished that.
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Maple Leafs land Scott Laughton from Flyers, Brandon Carlo from Bruins in deadline deals Back to video
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In acquiring Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers and Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins, Treliving filled two holes that needed to be patched up as the Leafs set their full sights on making a Stanley Cup playoffs run.
In Laughton, the Leafs get a smart third-line centre, and in Carlo, the team added a no-nonsense top-four defenceman who will likely get a long look with Morgan Rielly.
“I’ve been watching Scotty Laughton since he was in Oshawa (with the Generals in the Ontario Hockey League),” Treliving said. “A character guy. I can tell you, as hard as it was for him, he has been a Flyer his whole life, he was emotional, talking about coming home playing for the Leafs. I know that was a really important chapter in his life in Philly, but he’s excited to start one here.”
Laughton, a native of Oakville, told TSN in the minutes after the trade that he was “letting it all sink in.”
“I’m excited for a chance at the playoffs,” Laughton said. “I’m very grateful for my time in Philly, to spend that much time in one organization. I’m excited for the opportunity and ready to go.
“I’ve been in the rumours quite a bit over the last couple of years, but this year felt a little bit different. It’s hard to keep your mind on the game. Have a young family and you’re worried about them, but to be able to come home and being a Leafs fan growing up, it’s really cool and really special.”
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At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Carlo is big and long — exactly what Treliving usually says about what he likes in defencemen.
“He has been on our radar for a long time,” Treliving said. “Great stick, defends the blue paint really well. Excellent on the penalty kill. Tremendous character. He has been a big part of the success that’s gone on in Boston, and they’ve had a lot of it.”
Crucially, neither Laughton nor the right-shooting Carlo is a rental. Laughton has another year left on his contract and Carlo has two.
The Leafs also acquired forward Reese Johnson from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations. He has played in 144 NHL games with Chicago and Minnesota, though he was with Iowa of the AHL and will be headed to the Marlies.
The Leafs needed financial help to make the big deals work. The Flyers retained 50% of Laughton’s salary, reducing the cap hit to $1.5 million from $3 million, and the Bruins retained 15% of Carlo’s salary, reducing the hit to $3.485 million from $4.1 million.
There was more — the Leafs traded defenceman Conor Timmins and forward Connor Dewar to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fifth-round pick in 2025, freeing up a total of $2.28 million. Ryan Reaves was sent to the Marlies and Max Pacioretty was placed on long-term injured reserve. When the cap dust settled, the website puckpedia.com posted that the Leafs are approximately $195,000 under the cap.
The total cost to get Laughton and Carlo? Well, good things don’t come free.
Top prospect Fraser Minten, the Leafs’ first-round pick in 2026 (top-five protected) and a fourth-round pick acquired from the Flyers in the Laughton deal went to the Bruins.
Forward Nikita Grebenkin and the first-round pick in 2027 (top-10 protected) went to the Flyers, though the Leafs also a sixth-round pick in 2027 in the trade.
As it stands now, the Leafs don’t have a first-round pick in each of the next three drafts. It’s win-now mode, Leafs Nation.
“That’s the old supply and demand,” Treliving said in reference to the prices being paid on deadline day. “You’re navigating it, but certainly that was the sense coming in today. We always like to try to get things done as early as you can.
“I was hoping that the blue-light specials would come on. They didn’t come on as quick as I’d hoped.”
Of course, none of this was done in a vacuum.
When asked about the pressure of trying to improve considering the additions made by Florida (Brad Marchand and Seth Jones) and Tampa Bay (Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand), Treliving said he was “aware of what’s going on in your neighbourhood.”
After all, first place in the Atlantic Division is up for grabs.
“You’re trying to make your team better, we want to get as many good players as we possibly can, but you got to be careful of just saying one team did this, and now you got to do that,” Treliving said. “You’re aware of what’s going on around the league and in your division, your conference. But ultimately, the job is to do what’s best for you.
“It’s a long way of saying you pay attention, but you have to be real focused on, and be disciplined on, executing the plan that we set out.”
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