Following an underwhelming trade deadline that saw only minor returns for Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving faces a frustrated fanbase and mounting questions about the team's direction.
One day after the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired a conditional first-round draft pick in 2027 and a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2026, many were eager to see what Leafs GM Brad Treliving would pull off on deadline day. The end result was underwhelming.
As the 3 p.m. ET deadline approached on Friday, it became clear that Treliving had to lower his asking price on pending free agents Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton. Once the deadline passed, news broke that both players had been moved. McMann returned a conditional second-round draft pick in 2027 and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Seattle Kraken. The Leafs then acquired a conditional third-round pick in 2026 from the Kings for Laughton. That pick becomes a second-rounder if the Kings make the playoffs.
It is not a significant haul for the Leafs, especially considering what they surrendered as buyers last year. This is particularly true for a player like Laughton; previously, Toronto sent a 2027 first-round pick and Russian forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin to acquire Brandon Carlo.
“That's the market,” Treliving said. “I'll be the first one to say last year at this time, we paid a first and a young player in 'Grebby' for him. This isn't a function of teams not knowing what we have. We communicated with everybody, and ultimately the market dictates. That's where it fell for Scott”.
Treliving admitted he spent the day making more calls as a seller than he received, which may explain why the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline seemed quiet compared to previous years. The Leafs also hoped to weaponize their near $8 million in salary cap space by taking on a "bad" contract in exchange for strong future assets. However, because other teams had more cap space than in prior seasons, that flexibility did not prove to be a major asset.
Attention quickly shifted to how the Leafs ended up in this position. Toronto’s GM refused to address the future of head coach Craig Berube or himself. He also dodged questions regarding whether the Leafs are entering a rebuild or a retool. It is possible he does not yet know the right course of action, or whether he will even be the one to make that decision.
When asked about his strategy during an appearance on Real Kyper & Bourne, Treliving remained vague. “Listen, we definitely will have a plan,” he said. “There is a plan that we will have put together. As far as myself, those decisions will be made by others. I want to correct things”.
A lot was riding on this deadline. With the Leafs on a six-game losing streak following the Olympic break, Treliving needed to hit a home run. He didn’t come close. The fanbase wants answers now and is unwilling to wait through the 19 games remaining on the schedule. It will be interesting to see how fans welcome the team this Saturday when they host the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena. “Listen, we definitely will have a plan,” Treliving said. “There is a plan that we will have, we will have put together. As far as myself, those decisions will be made by others. I want to correct the things.”
A lot was riding on deadline day. With the Leafs riding a six-game losing streak coming out of the Olympic break, Treliving had to hit a homerun. It wasn’t anywhere close.
A fanbase wants answers now and doesn’t want to wait for the remaining19 games left in the schedule.
It should be interesting to see how Leafs fans welcome their team on Saturday when they host the Atlantic Division leading Tampa Bay Lightnign at Scotiabank Arena.