When the Toronto Maple Leafs made the bold move to acquire gritty forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline last season, they had to sacrifice a couple of precious assets to get it done. One was a conditional 2027 first-round pick and the other was a promising young prospect in the name of Nikita Grebenkin.Â
By the way things have evolved this 2025-26 NHL season, the Maple Leafs should be regretting trading Grebenkin even more right now. Laughton, of course, has now since been traded by the Leafs to the Los Angeles Kings at the 2026 NHL trade deadline, leaving Toronto with just a couple of late round picks to show for in the original trade with Philadelphia. The Flyers, on the other hand, are currently reaping the benefits of Grebenkin in their lineup as their Stanley Cup playoff hopes remain alive with just a few weeks left in the regular season.
Nikita Grebenkin is exactly who the Leafs need right now
From a numbers standpoint, the 22-year-old winger may have only tallied four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 51 games played this season for the Flyers. But it is his grit and tenacity in his play that has provided the most value to the club while becoming a true fan favourite in the process.
Just take for instance the scrum that he engaged in at the end of a recent game between the Flyers and the Washington Capitals. Grebenkin never shied away from any adversity that was presented as he got into it with Capitals’ forward Brandon Duhaime while both teams broke out into a full-blown scrum after the final horn sounded. Grebenkin sure sent the message that he sticks up for his teammates with everyone having each other’s backs.
That certainly wasn’t the case when Auston Matthews went down after a knee-on-knee hit by Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. No one ended up going after Gudas after the Leafs captain was taken out in what could be a serious injury, as Matthews needed help to get off the ice. If Grebenkin was still with Toronto, he likely wouldn’t have let that happen, let alone let Gudas just get off the hook that easily.Â
On top of his character and attributes, Grebenkin would have also looked good in the Leafs bottom six, giving them that much-needed spark and energy in their play that could have helped spark the team to more wins this season. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old forward is the property of the Flyers now as they look to chase down a playoff spot.
As for the Leafs, they are only left to wonder what could have been had they not given up so early on a young promising player that no doubt would have been adored not only by Toronto fans but the team as a whole. Hopefully, Grebenkin doesn’t become another Mason Marchment or Carter Verhaeghe, or else that trade will be remembered for a long time.