After sending Bobby McMann to Seattle, the Maple Leafs have traded Scott Laughton to Los Angeles for a 2026 third-round pick that could become a second-round pick if the Kings make the playoffs this season.
The optics aren’t good, knowing the trade comes a year after the Leafs acquired Laughton for a 2027 first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. It does need to be noted — not in total defense of the asset management on display here, but as a qualifier — that Laughton was just dealt as a rental but was initially acquired with term plus retention, with the assumption (at the time) that the Leafs would have a $1.5 million Laughton in their lineup for two playoff runs.
Laughton never fully found his footing in Toronto, tallying just 10 goals and 16 points in 63 regular-season games and two assists in 13 playoff games, but he had his moments, including some impressive shorthanded goals. He was one of the league’s best PK centers (and PK faceoff takers), a true pro and competitor, and a refreshing voice in the media/around the dressing room as a Toronto native who clearly appreciated the special opportunity to don the Leafs jersey. His voice was also a breath of fresh air in that he was one of the few Leafs to regularly take public accountability for his own play and demand better of himself and the team.
It can be fairly argued that the Leafs‘ coaching staff owns just as much responsibility for the underwhelming nature of this return as management or Laughton’s on-ice production does. At five-on-five, Laughton was largely deployed as a depth center with some checking utility, playing the vast majority of his minutes on a line with Steven Lorenz and starting under 20% of his shifts in the offensive zone. There was more juice to squeeze from a sparkplug-type player with jam, speed, and some underrated skill, to be sure, but we didn’t see much creativity around elevating him within the lineup into different spots (Laughton has played plenty of LW in the league as well).
Especially knowing Laughton plays a premium position and his cap hit was half-retained already/will cost LA peanuts at $1.5 million, this is an underwhelming outcome: hoping LA makes the playoffs so it can be a mid-to-late second-round return. As a comparison, Michael McCarron, who has had a much less productive career and is having a slightly less productive season, fetched Nashville a second-round pick outright.
Barring any last-minute deals, the Leafs’ deadline haul ends with Nic Roy, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann leaving the organization in exchange for a first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2027, a third-round pick in 2026 that could become a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick in 2026. They didn’t fill the first-round pick void for this season — unless they tank really hard or win the lottery — and they may not have filled the second-round pick void for this season, depending on LA’s finish in the standings. But they’ve added some much-needed draft capital to a previously barren cupboard, and it’s possible they circle back on both of these players — McMann and Laughton — in the summertime, should they reach UFA.
The Leafs have blown a big hole in their roster at a premium position (C), and while Jacob Quillan offers some potential, they will largely need to fill those holes via trade or UFA if the plan is to return to competitiveness next season. The overall direction remains rather unclear.
Both McMann and Laughton needed to go if there wasn’t a contract extension signed on the dotted line by 3 p.m. EST today — there was clearly no excusing own rentals, or “maybe we can sign them before July 1” situations — but without any notable prospects, young roster players, or 2026 first and second rounders added, you can be forgiven for finding the Leafs’ overall deadline work lacking in much imagination or clear wins.
