Brad Treliving had an uncharacteristically busy trade deadline day in his second season as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager. He’s long been known to get most of his roster business done during the offseason, using the deadline more to plug holes and improve depth rather than make any big swings. That story was different in 2024-25, first with the acquisition of Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton, followed by a shocking buzzer beater of a deal for Boston Bruins defenceman Brandon Carlo.

So far, it’s been a tale of two different experiences. Carlo gelled almost immediately with Morgan Rielly, setting in stone a top-4 of those two on one pair and Jake McCabe/Chris Tanev manning the other, and his presence on the penalty kill has been a welcomed one. Laughton, on the other hand, failed to record a point in his first nine games with the team before finally getting the monkey off his back in his tenth game with a goal against the San Jose Sharks. Although Laughton’s early struggles shouldn’t be a reflection of the player he is, it’s understandable that fans are concerned about the price they paid to acquire him.

Laughton initially started on the third line and then spent some time on the fourth line before head coach Craig Berube bumped him back up. His most consistent linemate recently has been Max Domi, with either Calle Jarnkrok or Nick Robertson skating on their right side. After a stretch of games following the deadline, where it seemed like the lines were different every night, Berube is inching closer to finding his optimal lines. The top line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner won’t be going anywhere, and considering how perfectly Bobby McMann has meshed with John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line, the likelihood of that line being split up has diminished drastically.

Berube seems to have found a fourth line he likes as well, with David Kampf centring Pontus Holmberg and Steven Lorentz. That leaves us with Domi, Laughton, Jarnkrok, and Robertson as contenders for the third line. Jarnkrok, Robertson, Kampf, and Holmberg have all sat games at times this season, with Robertson being the latest press box victim for the past three games, so it’s clear that Berube doesn’t have a consistent third line locked and loaded just yet. Regardless of who ends up making that line in the playoffs, the Leafs need to stick to the Domi-Laughton pair, if nothing else.

Let’s address the elephant in the room before we get to anything else. The Domi-Laughton duo has not seen good results so far. Although they’ve combined for a couple of goals in recent games, their analytical numbers have been uninspiring, to say the least. In 13 games since Laughton arrived in Toronto, the two players have combined for a Corsi-for rating of 39.57%, which is usually an instant indicator that the line is being caved in at 5-on-5 and needs a shakeup. They’ve surrendered 30 scoring chances compared to generating 19, and their expected-goals rating is 39.89%. With all of this out of the way, let me address the argument for it.

First of all, 13 games are simply too small of a sample size to guarantee anything. Combine this with the fact that Laughton took a little bit to get his feet moving in Toronto after joining the team mid-season post-trade deadline, and it’s simply not a big enough sample to make any definitive calls. Domi started off the season extremely slowly, not scoring his first goal of the season until the calendar flipped to December, and his lack of defensive instincts left fans wondering what the team thought they were committing to when they extended him last season. But, just like last season, Domi has turned his game on for the better as the season has rolled along. He had five goals in March and 12 points in 24 games since February 1, and he’s been more engaged than ever. He no longer looks like he’s running around like a chicken with its head cut off when he’s without the puck, and he’s been engaging physically more.

Domi and Laughton are both players who can elevate their games when the stakes are higher. Domi co-led the Leafs in playoff scoring last season, and while Laughton only has one meaningful playoff run to speak of in his 11 years with the Flyers, he scored five goals and added nine points in 15 games. Both players have the ability to play centre, depending on the situation, and Laughton’s defensive instincts make up for what Domi lacks in that department. From there, you have options in terms of the third player. It feels like Berube is going to lean towards using Calle Jarnkrok in the playoffs for his defensive game, veteran status and sneaky goal-scoring ability, but you never know. Maybe Jarnkrok starts slowly, and a hungry Robertson gets a chance to step back into the lineup and make an impact with his elite shot and relentless effort level.

The bottom line is that, regardless of what the results have been produced so far, the Leafs need to stick with Domi and Laughton on their third line. The Leafs are clearly a team who are going to live or die by its star players (what year is it?), and while their third line as it stands may not inspire confidence compared to, say, an Anthony Cirelli-led unit for the Lightning, it’s what they have at this point, and they’re not going to be doing themselves any favours by constantly throwing the lines into a blender to find a combination that clicks instantly. It’s clear that Berube feels most comfortable with Domi and Laughton on the third line, and while there will always be an argument to be made about spreading the top-end wealth through all three lines, that should only be used if the situation gets dire beyond the point of hoping the current units figure it out.

The Leafs will have to rely on their top two lines, their defence, and their goaltending to carry the mail this playoffs, and as of right now, the odds of Domi and Laughton figuring it out are far better if you let them keep playing together as opposed to experimenting further and juggling the combinations every night.