If you told Toronto Maple Leafs fans a year ago that the 2026 NHL trade deadline would see the team likely missing the playoffs and selling players, they wouldn’t believe it. This season has flipped upside down for the Leafs, heading towards a retool. So, we’re gonna break down the Maple Leafs trade deadline and discuss each deal.
How did the Leafs get here? Since coming back from the Olympic break, they’ve suffered one devastating loss after another. The Leafs have two regulation wins in their last 19 games and are currently on a six-game losing streak, a complete switch from the team that won the Atlantic Division title a year ago.
The Leafs trade rumours all started on Wednesday when Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were held out of the lineup for roster management purposes after head coach Craig Berube stated no one would sit; he was wrong. As the Leafs’ 2026 trade deadline has passed, here is what general manager Brad Treliving cooked up for this year’s team.
Nicolas Roy to COL for a 1st and 4th round pick
The Leafs kicked off their trade deadline on Thursday, trading forward Nicolas Roy (the return for Mitch Marner) to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2027 conditional first-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
Roy, in 59 games with the Leafs, put up five goals and 20 points in his bottom-six role with the team. His name popped up in trade rumours weeks ago, and today the Leafs decided to pull the trigger.
The Leafs gain a first-round pick, which has conditions. If the 2027 pick is in the top 10, the pick becomes a 2028 first-round pick. This is a great asset the Leafs have now, as they had no first-round picks for the next couple of years. It was a short run, but Roy has a chance to compete for his second Stanley Cup.
Bobby McMann to SEA for a 2nd and 4th round pick
A tough blow for the Leafs was the trade of Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. The Leafs didn’t want to trade McMann and had no thought of it at the beginning of the year, but the pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) could bring in some valuable assets.
McMann was starting to find his game in Toronto, on pace for his second consecutive 20-goal season, posting 19 goals and 32 points in 60 games. The Kraken are getting a gritty scorer who can play all parts of the lineup in Seattle’s push for the playoffs.
As for Toronto, they gained more picks, including a second-rounder, which the Leafs didn’t have for the next couple of years. It’s a tough blow losing the former Leaf, but there could be potential McMann signs back with the Leafs in free agency.
Scott Laughton to LAK for a 3rd round pick
Scott Laughton was brought in as part of last year’s trade deadline when Toronto was a buyer, giving up a first-round pick and highly touted prospect, Nikita Grebenkin. Now on the opposite end as sellers, the Leafs flipped the pending UFA for a conditional third-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings. The pick becomes a second-round pick if LA makes the playoffs.
Laughton is well-loved in Toronto, as the hometown kid expressed his love for playing in the city. The former Leaf posted 12 points in 43 games this season, battling injury throughout the year. The Kings are getting a great two-way centre who is a demon in the face-off circle.
The Maple Leafs again gain another pick, which could end up turning into a second-rounder. Like McMann, Laughton, in the offseason, could re-sign in Toronto and get another chance playing in a Leafs uniform.
Takeaways
The Leafs lost some important pieces that they didn’t want to lose at the beginning of the year, but gained draft picks that the team is desperate to have.
This year wasn’t meant to be, but one thing is for sure: this year’s trade deadline is the starting point to what could be something the Leafs absolutely need.
The prevailing theme of the 2026 trade deadline autopsy is short sightedness.
When asking the question “Was it enough?”, it seems to be implying that more could have and should have been done. But this type of query ignores both the reality of what was offered and the fact that the trade deadline is only the first step in setting up the Leafs for a better future.
Next up is taking long looks at players in the organization where decisions are pending. Both Jacob Quillan and William Villeneuve as examples are RFAs on expiring contracts. Could either of these players be considered to be in the team’s future plans? Ryan Tverberg is also in this boat but it is safe to say that no path to the NHL exists for him. Then there are emerging players with another year or more on their deals that should be given short NHL stints to see how they fair. Luke Haymes. Borya Valis and Bo Groulx fall into this category but Groulx especially has earned a call up.
Again, back to the question “Was it enough?”. No, it’s never enough.
Picks were needed for both trade capitol and to use as picks but almost as importantly, 3 roster spots were opened up. With the extra cap space gained and the reality that post trade deadline NHL rosters are no longer set at 23, there is ample room to look at those other players in the organization.
Also, due to the fact that Dennis Hildeby’s waiver exemption status expires at the end of this season. a goalie needs to be moved prior to the end of training camp in 2026. If it’s Anthony Stolarz on the trade block, he will be easier to trade prior to his new deal kicking in on JUly 1st when his 16 team modified NMC also kicks in. If for example, in the days leading up to the draft, Stolarz and say Nick Robertson were packaged for a 1st and a 3rd, it would change the notion of failure for this trade deadline.
My point is that this retool is only at the beginning of the process. Let’s not start crying into our beers just yet.
Hildeby is waiver exempt for another year or 35 games. Yep, could just be the beginning.
As seems so often with the Leafs organization, they only think about part of what should be considered when going after players. It seemed to be a simplistic notion of getting bigger and heavier without thinking about why they wanted to do that. They wanted to play tougher. However, they got Carlo who is 6’5″ and 227 lbs but plays like he’s 5’5″ and 150 lbs! They totally missed the mark while technically achieving their foolish goal. What they also needed, in getting rid of Reeves is to distribute some fighting toughness. By fighting toughness, I don’t even mean fighting but pushing around in scrums to stop them. Joshua is 6’3″ 218 lbs. Big and heavy. Only, neither of these big and heavy players gets involved much and certainly won’t fight. So, the Leafs entirely missed the mark on getting bigger and heavier because they’re not really, not in the ways that matter. OEL is a defenseman who should be playing as good as this year for the next 2. By trading McMann, Roy and Laughton, the Leafs restocked the cupboards almost a whole year’s worth of picks. They got a 1st, 2nd (if Kings make playoffs, otherwise 3rd), 3rd, 4th and 5th! The Leafs with Treliving did exactly what they should have done at the deadline. Obviously, teams weren’t paying enough to trade any other players.
My comment above was meant for another article but because this site foolishly uses a refresh to switch to another article, it’s in the wrong article! Also, there is no way to delete your comment!