The Toronto Maple Leafs continued gearing up for the playoffs by making a big-time trade in the final moments of the trade deadline. The Maple Leafs have acquired Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins for Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick (top 5 protected), and Philadelphia’s 2025 fourth round pick. The Bruins retain 15% of Carlo’s salary. The Pittsburgh Penguins received Connor Dewar and Connor Timmins from the Maple Leafs for a 2025 fifth round draft pick.
The Maple Leafs were thought to get another depth defenceman, like a Luke Schenn to play with Morgan Rielly. This would allow Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play on the left side. However, general manager Brad Treliving shocked Maple Leafs fans by acquiring Carlo.
Let’s take a look at this trade with division rival the Boston Bruins.
What the Maple Leafs gain
The Maple Leafs get a massive 6’5″ 216lbs, right-handed defensive defenceman that disrupts plays, battles, and more importantly for the Maple Leafs, protects the slot and front of the net. Averaging just under 20 minutes a game in his career with Boston, Carlo is a plus 129. The Maple Leafs added a legitimate top-four defenceman that has term.
I would imagine that Carlo would play on the right side next to Morgan Rielly. Rielly has been through a carousel of players. While there was some success with the carousel of players over the years—with Ilya Lyubushkin (twice), and Luke Schenn—Carlo is a significant upgrade. The Maple Leafs have seriously bolstered their defence in response to the moves made by other division rivals.
Carlo is currently in the fourth year of a six-year, $4.1M AAV deal. The Maple Leafs have now stabilized their back-end with Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and now Brandon Carlo for the next few years. This will give prospects like Ben Danford more time to develop instead of being rushed into the lineup.
The Maple Leafs also obtained a 2025 fifth round pick from the Penguins for players and salary going the other way. The Maple Leafs have enough cap space to account for players returning from injury.
What the Maple Leafs lose
The Maple Leafs lose a highly ranked prospect in Fraser Minten, along with some roster players. The biggest loss is that of Minten, who in his limited NHL time with the Maple Leafs this year, has looked very solid as a third-line centre. While he is not expected to have a high offensive ceiling, he will likely develop into a defensively responsible shutdown centre for the Bruins.
The roster players that the Maple Leafs lose are Connor Timmins and Connor Dewar. Unfortunately, Dewar could not regain the scoring touch that he had last season, where he scored ten goals with the Minnesota Wild. Timmins never showed the offensive flash he had in the 2023–24 preseason and was prone to make defensive gaffes.
The Maple Leafs do trade away their 2026 first-round pick and Philadelphia’s 2025 fourth-round pick. Toronto will not pick in the first round until 2028. However, the Maple Leafs’ window is the next three-four years. The Maple Leafs also managed to retain top forward prospect Easton Cowan and top defensive prospect in Ben Danford.
Overall Leafs trade deadline thoughts
Unlike previous trade deadlines, the Maple Leafs got solid additions in Scott Laughton and Carlo who have term after this season. Both of these players play a tough, physical game, which the Maple Leafs need come playoffs. While losing the first-round picks hurt, the Maple Leafs’ window is the next three-four years. They do not have the luxury of waiting for prospects to potentially develop.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers both got significantly better with their trade deadline acquisitions too. The Maple Leafs would probably prefer the Lightning and Panthers to beat each other in the first round. With the Panthers having Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and now Brad Marchand, the first round is going to be a blood bath. The race to win the Atlantic Division is on.
But what do you think of Treliving’s moves this NHL trade deadline? Leave a comment below!
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