The NHL roster freeze is officially over with the Olympics now in the rearview mirror. While some fans (and hopefully not Toronto Maple Leafs executives) might be hoping for a miracle run to the playoffs in the remainder of the season, the grounded focus should be put on the NHL trade deadline which is less than two weeks away and arguably has a pretty clear which sixteen teams are in and which 16 teams are out look to the buyers and sellers.

It’s very likely that before this is published the moves that GMs have had queued up over the past few weeks have come to fruition. Ideally, the Leafs are a part of that. But whether they have been active or not already, here is a simple outline of what a successful trade deadline would look like for Toronto.

Of the teams currently sitting in playoff spots, only seven of them presently own a first round pick in the 2026. The Bruins, Islanders and Kraken are the teams owning two picks (sigh, that Bruins pick). That makes the idea of the Leafs landing first round picks in 2026 a tough assignment for Brad Treliving. It absolutely should be the goal to acquire a first round pick but when you start playing matchmaker, it’s hard to imagine that teams like Anaheim, Boston, the New York Islanders or Seattle being ready to move on from futures. (You could also make a strong case that Anaheim and Seattle want that playoff gate revenue and first round picks could be in play.)

Realistically, the Leafs start having a lot more options to work with if they consider second round picks as a success story as well. These should be easy to pick up even with strong rental options like McMann and Laughton.

The Leafs, a team that shouldn’t be looking at a rebuild, should put increased value on acquiring 2026 picks over 2027/28 picks as there is some hope that a 2026 pick could contribute to the Leafs current competitive window.

And if the Leafs are wanting to be active in the trade market at the draft, current picks will help as currency in attempting to quickly turnaround the roster.

Assuming the Leafs aren’t going to be overly active at the trade deadline and stick strictly to moving their pending unrestricted free agents, the Leafs have the opportunity to drop Calle Jarnkrok’s cap hit to $1.05M, Scott Laughton’s cap hit to $750k, Bobby McMann’s below $700k, and Troy Stecher’s below $400k. While cap space might not be the commodity it was under the previous CBA, if teams are serious about loading up, cap management is going to matter and cheap options for playoff rosters will matter as well. The Leafs need to cash in here even though third party salary retention is no longer a thing.

The Leafs could also make their decisions on pending RFAs like Matias Maccelli and Nick Robertson in the coming days and make use of the salary retention on those players as well.

If the Leafs are willing to retain on term, a real premium can be collected and the Leafs know very well what is required for that as the Laughton and Carlo prices were steep last year. Players like Carlo, Ekman-Larsson, Domi, Roy, Stolarz and Benoit would mean some dead cap space for a year or two but present the Leafs with the opportunity to land a significant return that could help them in 2026-27.

If the Leafs are going to be different next season they need to open up spots in the lineup for whatever new players are incoming, and the previously mentioned group of Carlo, Ekman-Larsson, Domi, Stolarz, Roy, and Benoit represent a chance to do that as well as less likely options like Morgan Rielly or Dakota Joshua.

Getting a player with term out of the lineup also seems like the best path to bringing back a significant return to the Maple Leafs and the Leafs failing to close out the trade deadline without some form of optimism on the horizon won’t only be a disappointment for fans but have an impact on how long Auston Matthews wants to stay on as a Leaf.

It feels like this is code for bring in Andrew Mangiapane from the Oilers and honestly that seems like the best example out there, so I’ll run with it.

The Oilers might not have a lot to offer the Leafs back for players like McMann, Laughton, Ekman-Larsson unless they are willing to move one of their younger players like Isaac Howard or Matthew Savoie, but if the Leafs take on a player like Mangiapane or pending UFA Adam Henrique from the Oilers with a modest incentive for a 50% salary retained Calle Jarnkrok, the Oilers can pay a smaller price and the Leafs can still do decent business.

Even pending UFAs like Henrique or Patrik Laine have something to offer the Leafs in a limited look perspective and give the club the opportunity to negotiate contract extensions if they seem like a potential fit. And at the very least having NHL capable players as returns for the Leafs benefits a team that still wants to make sure they aren’t handing the Bruins too high a pick and can make a show of pushing for the playoffs.

If the reclamation doesn’t work out, hopefully the return will have been worth the risk.

If there is a drum I’ve been banging all season it is that the Leafs need to get back to faster hockey and often the best way to get faster is by getting younger legs into the lineup. There’s also a benefit in players who are trying to make their case for the NHL playing games down the stretch and even if they could fall flat in the playoffs they will make the attempt to get to the post season more entertaining than the current running out the clock lineup card.

Whether it is the Leafs trading for prospects, signing NCAA free agents, or simply creating some opportunities for Marlies players to get their cups of coffee, a youthful bottom six forward group and sheltered bottom defensive pairing make sense, as does potentially opening the door a little wider for Dennis Hildeby.

If the Leafs are capable of meeting these simple asks in the next couple of weeks, it will be an encouraging trade deadline.

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th, from 11 AM-3:30 PM ET for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.