"On one hand, the Leafs were adding a 'glue' guy who could sniff 20 goals and provide a strong two-way presence, and a right-handed defenceman who could make a clean breakout pass and give Morgan Rielly a partner he could trust without wrecking the shutdown pair of Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev. On the other hand, the deadline left the Leafs' prospect pool about as bare as one can get, meaning even more pressure than usual to make a substantial run."
"The bright side regardless of the outcome of the 2025 playoffs is that Laughton had an extra year left on his deal, and thus, an extra year to make things right. His two goals to close out the 2024-25 season did not reflect the player the Leafs hoped they were getting when they swung the deal, and although the sample size from 2025-26 is small, we're finally starting to see the player the Leafs paid that price for."
Toronto acquired Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo at the 2024-25 Trade Deadline, surrendering a first-round pick and prospects in two separate deals. Laughton projects as a middle-six, two-way forward with goal-scoring upside while Carlo provides a right-handed defense option capable of clean breakout passes and reliable partnership with Morgan Rielly. Those moves significantly depleted the prospect pool and amplified expectations for immediate playoff success. The Leafs reached the second round and pushed the eventual champions to Game 7. Early 2025-26 signs show Laughton beginning to approximate the expected impact despite injury setbacks.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]