The Toronto Maple Leafs may have handed Boston a useful chip in the Brandon Carlo deal, and the Bruins are already looking at how to spend it.
Two seasons after that trade, the move still sits badly with Leafs fans. Toronto sent a first-round pick and Fraser Minten to Boston, and in return got a defenseman who is no longer with the team. Minten, meanwhile, has turned into a stud for the Bruins, which only makes the whole thing look worse from Toronto’s side.
Now Boston appears ready to squeeze even more value out of the Maple Leafs’ first-rounder.
According to David Pagnotta, the Bruins want to use the extra pick to land a player who can lift them from playoff contender status to true Stanley Cup contender status. “They] would love to be able to add to this; it does sound like they're exploring the market; they have another carrot to dangle, not just their 1st...but Toronto's 1st; I don't think they're looking at a short term fix”
Dylan Larkin is one name that fits the picture. The Bruins have already come up in Larkin trade chatter, and the fit seems obvious enough from the outside.
Boston could also go after a different big name, with Matvei Michkov another player said to be available on the trade market.
Still, the possibility remains that Toronto’s original first-round pick ends up helping Boston land Larkin, which would be a brutal twist for the Leafs and the Brad Treliving regime.
For now, the Bruins keep finding ways to make sharp moves, while Toronto is left staring at a deal that looks more damaging by the day. Only time will tell whether Boston’s push for Larkin actually pays off.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have An Oliver Ekman-Larsson Decision To Make
Oliver Ekman-Larssons first season in Toronto has not gone the way the Maple Leafs hoped, and the questions around his role are getting louder. Through 19 games, he has only one assist and has shown signs of regression, which has put his place on the blue line under a brighter spotlight as the roster starts to get healthier.
With injuries beginning to ease, the Maple Leafs may have to decide whether to keep leaning on a veteran who has struggled or use the opening to give younger defensemen a bigger look. A trade could become part of that conversation, especially if Toronto decides it wants to reshape the back end rather than wait for Ekman-Larsson to rediscover his form. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fans Are Already Debating A Blockbuster This Team May Need
The Maple Leafs latest round of fan-driven roster debate has centered on the kind of blockbuster that can take over social media for a day and still never come close to reality. In this case, the idea floating around online would reshape both Toronto and Detroit, with a pair of established Leafs at the heart of the discussion and a couple of Red Wings names attached as the supposed return.
It is the sort of proposal that says more about the temperature of the fan base than the actual trade market. Toronto would have to navigate major contractual and roster hurdles, and the Leafs also know how important one of the players involved is to their current core. For now, it remains a speculative exercise, but it has already given supporters plenty to argue about while they wait to see whether the front office ever makes a move of that scale. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Hiller Didnt Sugarcoat Whats Driving The Leafs Skid
After a 6-3 loss to Colorado, Jim Hiller did not try to dress up where the Maple Leafs are right now. The coach pointed to the mistakes that helped swing the game, addressed William Nylanders current play, and acknowledged the reality of a team that is still searching for its footing through 20 games. His message was less about excuses than about the work ahead, with Hiller stressing that the Leafs have to grind their way out of the slump and insisting he still believes this group can get better.
The night also offered another reminder of how thin the margins have been for Toronto, especially when a game starts tilting the wrong way. Hiller explained the decision not to challenge Colorados second goal, saying the video review odds made it an unlikely reversal, and the choice fit the broader theme of a team trying to manage the details while the losses keep piling up. For the Leafs, the frustration is not just the record. It is the sense that the answers are there, but the execution has not been consistent enough to find them. [Read more 🡒]