While the Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the most successful National Hockey League franchises over the last several regular seasons, they have failed to advance past the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year they’ve qualified since 2013 other than one occasion.
Maple Leafs fans worldwide celebrated with joy as now-former captain John Tavares’ turnaround shot deflected past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game Six of the 2023 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. This goal propelled the Maple Leafs to the second round for the first time since 2004. However, their stay in the Semi-Finals against the Florida Panthers was a short one, as Florida advanced with a relatively quick five-game series win.
The painful refrain of Round One losses continued in last season’s playoffs, losing (again) to the Boston Bruins in a Game 7 at TD Garden.
Toronto is hoping that this season is different, and they acquired a pair of key pieces in hopes of making a lengthy playoff run possible. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving acquired forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers, while later trading for defenseman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins.
As part of the Laughton trade, the Leafs also received a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
The returns for both players were relatively minimal. In return for Laughton, the Leafs sent prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Flyers. To the Bruins, they sent Fraser Minten, a top-five protected first-round pick in 2026 and a fourth-round 2025 pick.
Maple Leafs’ biggest reasons for hope after 2025 NHL Trade Deadline
The Maple Leafs have themselves valuable depth that they are hoping will go a long way in further propelling them past the opening round of the playoffs for what would be just the second time since 2004.
Not only is Carlo a capable, puck-moving defenseman who can eat up plenty of minutes, but Laughton is a defensively responsible forward who can balance out their bottom-six forward units.
It has taken Laughton a bit longer than expected to adjust to his new surroundings, and head coach Craig Berube has even put him further down in the lineup in order to create more of an “identity” line. Discussing Laughton’s place in his rotation after Monday’s practice before their game against the Calgary Flames, Berube explained where he sees the former Flyers forward playing moving forward
“I wanted to create a line with Laughton, Lorentz and Jarny of just more of an identity line, a checking line,” Berube said via Yahoo Sports. “We’ve got to get that battle level and that urgency level up. Guys understand that. They’re not very happy right now, which is a good thing.
“So that’s really the message. The message, too, is like, we’re right there. I mean, we’ve got two games in hand here. We’ve got to take care of our business and start with tonight’s game only and focus on that and go from there.”
Brandon Carlo is a playoff veteran and brings valuable experience
Meanwhile, Carlo brings over 70 games of playoff experience to Toronto; he’s also a physically imposing presence at 6’5 and 220 lbs. Having already played in a high-pressure Original Six market like Boston, Carlo is well aware of the playoff history in Toronto and values the importance of keeping an even-keel mentality.
“I mean coming into this market, it’s not easy, but the way that these guys carry themselves, their confidence each day, it’s an example that I would like to follow, and be a part of as well,” Carlo explained via Jeremy Tingly of The Leafs Nation. “Staying even keel is a big thing, never getting to high, or too low.”
Like Laughton, there’s been a natural adjustment period for Carlo in his new surroundings.
“I feel like I’m getting there. I feel like these guys are easy to find in certain ways, they do a great job making themselves available for passes and breakouts,” he said of his new teammates. “There’s a lot within this group that I like, and going forward, there’s a lot of great potential here.”
It will be up to Laughton and Carlo as well as their new Leafs teammates to make the most of that potential when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin exactly one month from now. Who the Leafs will ultimately play and what their seeding will be remains to be seen.
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