The NHL trade deadline was quieter than anyone expected, but for Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving, it only exacerbated criticism and social media backlash. The Leafs, for the first time in years, were sellers, thanks to an utter no-show this season. However, even while selling, the Maple Leafs fumbled hard.
Not only did they trade a forward for questionable returns, but also, as if to rub salt into the Leafs’ wounds, the 31-year-old is playing some of his best hockey in a very long time with the Los Angeles Kings.
Scott Laughton’s Hot Start With Kings Highlights Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Blunder
The Maple Leafs’ downfall from last season has been dramatic and unforeseen. The Leafs dominated the Atlantic Division standings in 2024-25, but this season, the NHL’s most expensive franchise is almost certainly out of the playoffs.
So bleak have things been in Toronto that the team has not won a single game since play resumed after the Olympic break. With a seven-game losing streak hanging heavily on the Leafs, the franchise is looking straight at a retool.
There was no way out other than being a seller, but unfortunately, the Leafs’ bad luck on the ice this season has continued to haunt them at the deadline as well. Last trade deadline, management had acquired Scott Laughton at a steep price from the Philadelphia Flyers, which included Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick.
This year, as Treliving attempted to move Laughton, he only got crumbs in return from the Kings: a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 draft. No matter how one sees it, this trade is difficult to defend.
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Ken Holland is a winner not only because of the immense value of the trade, but also because Laughton has already scored three points, two of them goals, in the two games he has played with Los Angeles.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox highlighted the massive disparity in Laughton’s offensive output from his time with the Maple Leafs to his time with the Kings. “Scott Laughton’s first 40 games with Maple Leafs (including playoffs): 2 goals. Scott Laughton’s first 2 games with Kings: 2 goals,” Fox wrote.
Mike Stephens came out harshly against Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube. “Craig Berube should be in federal prison.”
JD Bunkis and Leafs Nation writer Nick Richard also shared their disappointment at the Maple Leafs’ misfortune of losing a player like Laughton, who is very capable of putting up impressive numbers.
At this rate, it does seem that Laughton’s offensive woes were Leafs-specific. Perhaps all he wanted was a bigger role on the team. After all, not too long ago, the 31-year-old had expressed his faith in the Maple Leafs.
“We have the pieces to do something really special here. We obviously have to gain some ground here and go from there. And it’s a short time till the deadline, so it’s something that we have to get figured out here. But, yeah, you want to win. That’s my sole focus,” Laughton said, making his love for the team and the Leafs community apparent.
The 31-year-old may have just needed more minutes and a bigger role with the Leafs to really shine through.
