A late-night trade on Friday, about an hour ahead of the NHL’s Christmas roster freeze, highlighted another failure by the Maple Leafs.
For a long while now, the Maple Leafs have been linked to former Seattle Kraken forward Mason Marchment. My colleague Nicholas Ginannone took a deep dive into why Marchment would have been a good fit for the Leafs.
But Marchment’s arrival may have to wait, if it ever happens. The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired the 30-year-old forward from the Kraken for a second and fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
That’s a low, low price for a forward rumored to be high on several teams’ radars. And that’s a failure on the Maple Leafs’ part. The club could have spared two draft picks, especially considering the price they’ve paid for other players.
Unfortunately, the sad reality is that the Maple Leafs could not have fitted Marchment’s $4.5 million cap hit under the cap even if they wanted to. GM Brad Treliving is pretty much handcuffed by the tight cap situation.
At the moment, the Leafs have a little under $4 million in cap space. But that’s due to Chris Tanev’s contract on LTIR. If and when Tanev comes back, that cap space evaporates.
The chatter surrounding the Leafs has posited that Treliving is looking to do whatever he can to move out undesired contracts. Matias Maccelli has been the most talked-about name on the block. Also, Max Domi has long been grinding in the rumor mill.
Brandon Carlo is another name churning in trade talk. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old blueliner is on the shelf. That’s why moving him wouldn’t be easy.
If anything, the Marchment trade shows just how much the Maple Leafs painted themselves into a corner. There are moves the team would like to make, but they can’t due to its cap situation.
It has to be frustrating for both the organization and fans. But that’s the reality. The Leafs bet on players like Dakota Joshua, Nic Roy, and Maccelli. Roy and Joshua have worked out all right. Maccelli really hasn’t. And it’s Maccelli’s cap hit that’s getting in the way right now.
Of course, Marchment wouldn’t have been the savior of the Maple Leafs’ season. But the situation goes to show just how inept the Leafs are at making things happen.
There’s one final takeaway from this Marchment situation. The Leafs are pretty much stuck with their current roster for the remainder of the season. Therefore, any meaningful moves will come in the offseason once several contracts come off the books.