The Toronto Maple Leafs made three major trades at this year's trade deadline, and in their debuts with their new team, veterans Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann got on the scoresheet, while Nicolas Roy scored in his home debut.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made multiple moves at this year’s NHL trade deadline, sending veteran center Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche, then shipping left winger Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken, and finally, dealing center Scott Laughton to the Los Angeles Kings.
But after some work visa issues that delayed McMann's debut, all three Maple Leafs got on the scoresheet in their first game with their new teams.
Playing in his first game since March 2, McMann made the biggest splash of the three former Leafs, posting two goals and three points against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
That total gives McMann 21 goals and 35 points in 61 games this season. And Kraken coach Lane Lambert rewarded McMann’s strong play by giving him 18:04 of ice time – his highest total since Jan. 15.
Meanwhile, Laughton also had a solid debut with the Kings, generating his ninth goal of the season against the Montreal Canadiens on March 7. One game later, he put up two points for the Kings on March 9 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Since the game against Columbus, Laughton has been held off the scoresheet, but he wasn’t acquired to lead the team in scoring.
Los Angeles interim coach D.J. Smith has given Laughton an average ice time of 16:10 – a full two-and-a-half minutes more than he was averaging with the Leafs.
Finally, Roy put up a goal in his home debut for the Avs on March 8 against the Minnesota Wild. Two games later, he added another goal in a game against the Kraken, giving him seven goals and 22 points in 64 games.
On a very deep Avalanche squad, Roy has seen his minutes cut back, as he’s averaging just 12:58 after logging an average of 14:45 with Toronto. But in a limited role, Roy can give Colorado the bottom-six impact the Avalanche were hoping for when they surrendered a conditional first-round pick to the Maple Leafs for his services.
Bobby McMann (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)Of course, in an ideal world, Leafs fans would’ve preferred McMann, Laughton, and Roy had stayed with Toronto and helped them make a late-season playoff push. But the bottom line is that the trio of players weren’t core members of the Leafs, and although their new teams no doubt are pleased with what they’ve seen from the three veterans, the Leafs did partially restock their cupboard with multiple assets.
Sure, Leafs fans likely wanted more picks and prospects for the players they dealt at this year’s deadline, but you can’t say Leafs GM Brad Treliving totally fumbled the bag in this situation.
He gave the Kings, Kraken and Avalanche solid veterans, and he got back a decent amount of assets in return. And if their debuts are any indication, Roy, Laughton and McMann will be making their new employers very happy the rest of the way this year.
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