In what will always be remembered as yet another bad trade with the Boston Bruins, the Maple Leafs sent Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round draft pick and a fourth-round pick to Beantown in return for stay-at-home defenceman Brandon Carlo.
On the surface, Carlo checked a lot of boxes for the Leafs. He brought experience, size and the ability to move bodies from the crease. Or so they thought. The trouble is, Carlo rarely used his size when he was with the Maple Leafs, he struggled in front of the net and had difficulty getting the puck out of the defensive zone. Basically, he was terrible as a Maple Leaf and the fans had seen enough of his act once the 2025-2026 season concluded.
When John Chayka came aboard as the Maple Leafs general manager, he knew he would have to make a number of moves to clean up the roster. One of his first moves was shipping Carlo to the St. Louis Blues for the 73rd and 76th picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, which became winger Zach Olsen and forward Mans Gudmundsson.
As we all know, that first-round pick became a lottery pick. Former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving made sure to include top-five protection when he made the deal with Boston. So, when the Leafs finished in the bottom five in the standings, there was a chance they could secure a lottery pick.
For once, the hockey gods smiled on the Leafs as they won the draft lottery, securing the number one pick, which allowed them to select future star Gavin McKenna.
To be clear, McKenna wasn't part of the deal, but winning the lottery meant Boston didn't get him, which was a relief to Toronto fans. Of course, the Leafs still owe the Bruins a pick. Time will tell how that shakes out.
Brandon Carlo is just fine in St. Louis
Where is Carlo now? He is currently playing second- and third-pairing minutes with the Blues, averaging 17:43 a night while posting one assist and 21 penalty minutes (which leads the Blues) and a minus-2 rating through 17 games.
He's not making big hits, not splashing the scoresheet and not really impacting games in any meaningful way. He is consistently mediocre, just as he was when he wore the Maple Leaf.
Taking his place on the Leafs roster was Darren Raddysh. Signed to an eight-year, $8.5 million contract in a sign-and-trade with Tampa, Raddysh was thought to be the answer for the Leafs in terms of taking on big minutes and filling the offensive void on the backend last season.
Currently, Raddysh has zero goals and ten assists while averaging a team-leading 23:57 of ice time per game through 19 contests. The offensive numbers have been a disappointment for management and fans alike, but the bigger issue might be Raddysh's defensive play, which has been suspect for most of the season.
Needless to say, the Leafs need more from Raddysh, but we'll give him a little more time before coming down on him too hard.
Verdict: My take is that there was a measure of cleansing that took place by moving Carlo out, so it had to be done. We are literally years away from seeing how the two draft picks pan out, so it's tough to judge the return. Could we have kept Carlo to secure better depth on the blueline and help support the injuries the Leafs have had to endure on the backend? Sure. But Carlo would still have all the blemishes he had last season, and we all know how that worked out.
With Raddysh, the Maple Leafs hope his performance eventually meets the hype. Time is ticking, and he looks challenged defensively most nights. However, it's early, and with the team struggling to ice a healthy lineup, it's tough to judge his performance thus far. Call it a slight advantage for the Maple Leafs, with keeping Carlo in the fold not really being an option.
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