Update: According to Elliotee Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs have landed Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers. The trade cost the Leafs a 2026 first rounder and brought back a 4th and 6th rounder. 50% Laughton's salary is being retained.
Further Update: The Leafs also landed 6'6 defenseman Brandon Carlo. The cost is Fraser Minten. Carlo is big, but doesn't address their needs for puckmovers or a superstar defenseman. The Leafs have certainly locked up the most average blue-line you could imagine for quite a long time.
With three hours to go before the deadline, the biggest Toronto Maple Leafs rumour we are hearing is that Brad Treliving is starting to have trouble dealing with a serious flop-sweat issue as he continues to work the phones.
As the Dallas Stars supposedly work on a Mikko Rantanen extension, and as the Ottawa Senators are acquireing Dylan Cozens and the Avalanche are getting Brock Nelson, the Toronto Maple Leafs are.....dabbing their brows and wondering how it came to this?
The Senators picking up Cozens for Jacob Bernard-Docker and Josh Norris is an absolutely bonkers move, you have to appreciate the Leafs provincial rivals making such a solid trade.
The Leafs meanwhile look like they're gearing up to explain to us why Calle Jarnrkrok is the true addition (give me a break!),
Toronto Maple Leafs in the Process of Blowing It + Last Minute Shopping
Barring something unexpected, the pickings after the rest of the NHL completed about a hundred trades don't look too good.
The Leafs could still bring in the ridiculously bad options like Scott Laughton, Brayden Schenn and Luck Schenn.
They could still bring in useful but extremely un-exciting players like Chris Tanev's brother Brandon. Upgrading the fourth line is helpful, but Tanev alone isn't even going to get you a single win over the course of a full season.
The Leafs really stunk it up with their failure of a deadline last year, and it's haunted them every day since. This year they had a mandate to do something massive to put themselves over the top. With the jobs of the President and GM on the line, you would expect some fireworks.
It seems like what we are getting for Trade Deadine Day is like that thing where your uncle clearly stopped by the closest gas station on the way to your birthday party and bought you a snow brush.
Of course with four hours to go, a lot could change, but the Leafs Trade Deadline is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
From letting Marner get this close to free-agency, to the signing of Max Domi, to the fact that Jake Wallen, Dylan Cozens and MIkko Rantanen all changed teams without the Leafs being involved, I have been extremely underwhelmed with the Leafs performance as an organization all season long.
This is the year to really go for it and the Toronto Maple Leafs have four hours to go. We better get something a lot better than a snowbrush.