It was all good just a year ago, but that’s how the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in this predicament. Toronto traded Scott Laughton to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional third-round pick. The pick will become a second-round selection, if the Kings make the playoffs, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports.

This trade is simply poor asset management from the Maple Leafs. Although Laughton will certainly have more short-term value for a Kings team desperately trying to make the playoffs during Anze Kopitar’s final season, they got fleeced. Last year, Toronto surrendered a first-round pick, along with forward Nikita Grebenkin, in exchange for Laughton. There are circumstantial differences, as the Maple Leafs were trying to win the Stanley Cup last year, but it doesn’t excuse the diminished value a year later.

Laughton is a defensively responsible player who operated as the Maple Leafs’ best penalty killer. He was a veteran leader, and was universally lauded by his teammates for his presence in the room. Laughton was originally envisioned as the team’s third-line centre, but Craig Berube quickly grew tired of this experiment during the 2024-25 campaign, and stapled him to the fourth line this year.

The 31-year-old was highly coveted at the deadline, as the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche were among the teams interested in acquiring Laughton. Laughton will slot into a bottom-six role for the Kings, a move that could pay immediate dividends in a tight Western Conference playoff race.

Although the idea was for the Maple Leafs to recoup as many assets as possible, they clearly lost this trade. Laughton has served as a mentor to several young players on the team, including 20-year-old rookie Easton Cowan. He clearly wanted to stay with the Maple Leafs, but both parties couldn’t find a long-term pact, and he’ll be afforded a real opportunity to advance into the playoffs. Count this as a clear miss by Brad Treliving and his staff.