The Toronto Maple Leafs brought in new faces at this past season’s NHL trade deadline, but the first impressions varied.

The Maple Leafs acquired veteran center Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers and rugged defenseman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins in March.

Laughton and Carlo had to prove the high trade costs, and despite some moments where that was in doubt and losing in the second round, they did prove themselves and will be key pieces of the puzzle for the Maple Leafs this coming season.

The Leafs gave Boston a 2026 first-round draft pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick and prospect center Fraser Minten in return for Carlo. The cost for Laughton from the Flyers was rugged young winger Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-rounder. Toronto brass essentially took themselves out of the top end of the next two drafts with the deals for Laughton and Carlo, and some Leafs fans and media were expecting the world out of the two veterans.

Such expectations for Carlo and Laughton are unfair. We’re not talking about two all-stars here, and that’s certainly not what Treliving was expecting out of them. At the end of the day, these are two veterans who fit in the middle of the lineup. The weight of the world shouldn’t be placed on either man’s shoulders.

While it’s true that it took some time for Laughton and Carlo to become comfortable in the white-hot glare that comes with playing in Toronto, we’d argue that both of them eventually proved their worth.

Carlo ended the year playing alongside Leafs star Morgan Rielly. While Rielly struggled in the Leafs’ second-round series against the eventual Cup-winning Florida Panthers, Carlo was a physical force trusted by Buds coach Craig Berube. The 28-year-old averaged 19:05 of ice time and 1:56 of penalty-killing time. One of the reasons why Toronto’s defense corps is one of the better ones in the NHL is that Carlo makes them that much deeper and more experienced.

As for Laughton, the 31-year-old didn’t light up the scoresheet in the regular season with Toronto, generating two goals and four points in 20 games. But in the post-season, Laughton averaged 1:32 of penalty-kill time. Only stars Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews were forwards who averaged more PK time than Laughton. 

Laughton’s willingness to play a physical game was exactly what the Leafs needed, as he recorded 41 hits and 11 blocked shots in the playoffs. He also won an impressive 57.1 percent of his 126 faceoffs in the playoffs, which was important when he started most of his shifts in the neutral or defensive zones.

Laughton and Carlo are important pieces of the puzzle for the Maple Leafs this season, in no small part because they’ve got sandpaper to their game. Toronto doesn’t need either one of them to lead the team in point production. The players must make their opponents’ lives miserable, and that’s something they both can do.

If Leafs critics want to hold up Laughton and Carlo and complain the Buds gave up too much to acquire them, their salaries don’t break the bank, and that’s what they should be judged by. 

Laughton is under contract next season at a $1.5-million cap hit for Toronto – just 50 percent of Laughton’s actual $3-million salary since the Flyers retained the other 50 percent. Carlo is entering the second-to-last year of a contract that pays him $4.1 million per year, but the Bruins retained 15 percent of the salary, giving Carlo a cap hit of $3.485 million on the Leafs.

Those reduced cap hits are part of the reason why the Leafs surrendered first-round picks in the trades. Although Laughton will be in the final season of his contract, if all goes well next year, it’s easy to see Treliving getting Laughton’s signature on a contract extension.

As Toronto embarks on the post-Marner Era, they’re going to need foot soldiers who can do the dirty work on defense. Carlo and Laughton have demonstrated they can do that. The price was worth it to bring in experienced hands who can deliver in high-stakes situations.

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