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Daily Faceoff lists Maple Leafs as winners after 2026 NHL trade deadline
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
Michael Coyle
Mar 7, 2026, 10:30 ESTUpdated: Mar 7, 2026, 10:09 EST
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The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is officially in the rearview mirror. The Toronto Maple Leafs were active the past two days, dealing away Nicolas Roy, Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton as the team tries to recoup assets for future seasons. 
Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin wrote an article upon completion of the trade deadline, breaking teams into three tiers for their efforts on deadline day. The tiers were: winners, notable in murky middle, and losers. 
The Maple Leafs found themselves in the winner’s tier after bringing back five draft selections over the upcoming two NHL drafts. Here’s what Larkin wrote: 
Context is everything at the deadline. The Leafs are big-time losers for 2025-26 as a whole, to be clear. But they’re Trade Deadline winners for finally recognizing their situation. They did well to turn third-line center Roy into a first-rounder during a down year for him, and they were wise to cash out their pending UFAs in Bobby McMann, who has been a revelation but is already 29 as a late bloomer, and Scott Laughton, a beloved dressing room presence but merely a bottom-six forward. Neither player netted GM Brad Treliving a first-round pick, but the Leafs still got something for both; seeing the clock reach 3:00 p.m. with nothing for either guy would’ve been disastrous. The Leafs didn’t trade their way into Round 1 or 2 of this draft, but they can still get there using their assets that have term left. Maybe they move the likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi and Anthony Stolarz in the offseason.
Roy, who was acquired in the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, was shipped to the Colorado Avalanche for a conditional first-round draft pick in 2027 and a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2026. In 59 games with the Maple Leafs this season, Roy recorded five goals and 15 assists, remaining under contract next season at $3 million. 
McMann felt like a lock to be moved at the 2026 trade deadline for weeks, due to his inexpensive cap-hit and pending unrestricted free agent status following this season. It wasn’t until the final minutes that the 29-year-old found a new home in Seattle with the Kraken. McMann has recorded 32 points in 60 games with the Leafs this season. A pending unrestricted free agent at season’s end, the Kraken traded away a conditional 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick for McMann’s services. 
Laughton, like McMann, was also a pending UFA at the end of the 2025-26 season. The forward had posted 12 points in 43 games this season, while helping the Maple Leafs penalty kill find itself in the top 10 overall among all NHL teams. Acquired by the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional third-round pick in 2026, that can become a second-rounder if the Kings qualify for the playoffs this season. 

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