As the trade deadline has come and passed, it was an underwhelming day for the Toronto Maple Leafs to say the least. Despite the Maple Leafs moving on from three players, the returns were less than fans were hoping for.
Brad Treliving has made a lot of mistakes in his tenure with the Maple Leafs and has recognized this, mentioning, "It starts with me.” “I’ll take responsibility. You know, we met earlier in the year, about the 20-game mark, where we got off to a slow start. And again, the failures start with me. Once we get through the end of the season, you know, there will be all sorts of evaluation.”
Toronto's flurry of deadline deals
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs made their first move by trading Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2027 conditional first-round pick and a 2026 conditional fifth-round pick. Many Maple Leafs fans were expecting similar returns for both Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton, but were later disappointed.
The Maple Leafs managed to scramble both of these deals late in the afternoon and received a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 4th-round pick for Bobby McMann, as it was “the best offer that we had,” Treliving said. The management staff then decided to trade Oakville native Scott Laughton to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional third-round pick that becomes a second-round pick if the Kings qualify for the postseason.
Scott Laughton loved his time in Toronto and was hoping to have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs. Laughton told Sportsnet reporters on Thursday, “I have family close. And the staff, you get treated first class here. Original Six team. It’s special every time you go on the ice. “You get chills every time going out, thinking about this team you grew up watching. And I’ve said this before, but I’ve fallen in love with the guys here. We have a great group of guys who really care and want to be at their best.” What makes the Laughton return so disappointing for Brad Treliving is what they spent to acquire him at last season's trade deadline. The Maple Leafs acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick.
Craig Berube's future in jeopardy?
Treliving's comments throughout the press conference began to raise concerns over Craig Berube's future with the Maple Leafs, expressing, “Like everything else, we all take responsibility,” he said. “I think Craig’s a terrific coach. It hasn’t worked, right? So when it doesn’t work, we all share a blame and we all share responsibility, right? So it starts with myself. It’s the coaches. It’s the players. We all are partners in this thing.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a big summer ahead of themselves, with lots of critical decisions to be made, figuring out the direction the team wants to go in over the next couple of seasons. If it were up to me, Treliving does not seem the best person fit for the job, but it will be an interesting couple of months in Leafland.