Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Brandon Carlo says he has loved seeing the passion of the fanbase since arriving at the trade deadline.

He may have only been with the team for nearly seven months to this point, but he has already gotten a sense of just how much the city of Toronto loves the Leafs. It’s the type of environment he enjoys being in, given that he spent the first bit of his career with another franchise with a passionate fanbase in the Boston Bruins.

When speaking with reporters after the morning skate on Wednesday, Carlo reflected on what he has learned about Leafs fans since arriving at the trade deadline.

“ I think it’s great, I love being in a market where there’s so much passion,” he said. “I can’t imagine wanting to be in a different place where you wouldn’t want to win.  I really appreciate the passion; it’s ingrained in everybody’s blood here. I see bumper stickers all the time. I see kids with jerseys at school and I absolutely love it. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Carlo mentioned that one interaction with a fan that stood out was when he was out for a walk and a female fan recognized him, jokingly asking why she was excited to see him. He made it clear that everyone in the city has been kind and has enjoyed being around the fans.

He got the chance to gain a fan’s perspective and extra energy when he and his teammates attended Game 2 of the ALDS between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees on Sunday.

“Those moments, sporting events like that, being able to see it from the fan perspective kind of gives you a little bit of a different appreciation for when you’re involved in it as well. So I’ve really enjoyed being in the city,” he said.

With his focus set for the opening night of the regular season against the Montreal Canadiens, Carlo was slotted alongside Morgan Rielly as they were last year. Having that sense of familiarity certainly helps build the chemistry that was established towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

While he is excited to get back to skating alongside Rielly, Carlo is also excited to see how Matias Maccelli does on the top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.

“ From playing against him, a fantastic player,” he said. “He can turn around in a phone booth; he’s very hard to defend. But his playmaking abilities, I think he’ll be in a great spot with those two players, and I’m looking forward to see what they can do on the ice.”