"The Maple Leafs have made three trades over the last 24 hours and all of them have seen the return be draft picks. That is ideal for Toronto who are trying to maximize cap space heading into next season, but also are trying to recoup draft capital for players on expiring contracts."
"It makes a lot more sense for them to sell assets for picks and then look at how they can retool this roster in the offseason, rather than trying to fix it at the deadline. Brad Treliving did have the right approach in selling their UFA's."
"He was able to get a first and a fifth for Roy, a second and a fourth for McMann. However, he was only able to get a conditional third-round pick which slides to a second if the Kings make the playoffs. While that is a decent return, it is significantly less than what he paid for Laughton just a season ago."
The Toronto Maple Leafs completed three trades within 24 hours, trading Nicolas Roy to Colorado, Bobby McMann to Seattle, and Scott Laughton to Los Angeles. All three deals returned draft picks rather than players, allowing Toronto to dump salary and rebuild draft capital for expiring contracts. Laughton, acquired one year prior at the 2025 deadline for Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick, was traded for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that becomes a second if Los Angeles makes the playoffs. While this approach makes strategic sense for offseason retooling, general manager Brad Treliving appeared to compromise on asking prices, receiving less value than originally invested.
Read at The Hockey Writers
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