We are now just one day out from this year’s NHL trade deadline, which takes place at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.

Amidst a disappointing season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been a hot topic of conversation as they pivot to selling in an attempt to potentially retool for next year and beyond. Here’s how things are shaping up for the Maple Leafs as the deadline approaches:

Entering this year, no one could have anticipated the Leafs would be in the position they are now. After taking the Florida Panthers to seven games in last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, expectations were high that Craig Berube would keep pushing this group to new heights this season. Unfortunately, this year instead brought a total collapse, with injuries, defensive issues, and scoring slumps aplenty.

After multiple failed attempts to go on a run and save the season, the Leafs are currently poised to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Given that, General Manager Brad Treliving is expected to sell off assets to try and recoup some of Toronto’s depleted draft capital. At the same time, just a week ago MLSE CEO Keith Pelley reiterated his commitment to the team remaining competitive, raising question marks about just how willing the team is to sell (or at least, to what extent).

On Wednesday night, Scott Laughton, Bobby McMann, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were scratched against the New Jersey Devils for “roster management purposes,” fuelling speculation that they could soon be on the move. All three were listed in Tier 1 of Daily Faceoff’s most recent trade board from Matt Larkin.

Laughton is on the final year of his contract, with a cap hit of $1.5 million (the Flyers retained 50% of his contract in last year’s trade). The 31-year-old brings veteran presence, and is a good depth rental option for contending teams.

McMann is currently fourth on the Leafs in goalscoring with 19 tucks, one away from tying his career-high of 20. He also carries a low cap hit of $1.35 million and continues to keep pushing his game. Reaching his peak value, it’s a good time for the Leafs to cash in on him. He has been linked to a number of teams, most notably the Edmonton Oilers.

Ekman-Larsson leads all Leafs defencemen in points, already putting up his best total in eight years with 35 points in 61 games. He has three years remaining on his contract, which carries an AAV of $3.5 million.

Aside from the above names, three other Leafs are listed on the Tier 1 of Daily Faceoff’s trade board and could be dealt this week.

As the Maple Leafs work on re-tooling their blue line, Benoit is a solid defender to sell, with a small contract that runs until next summer. Larkin speculates he can fetch a high mid-round draft pick.

Carlo was acquired at last year’s deadline for Fraser Minten and a 1st, in what may go down as one of Treliving’s biggest missteps in his time as GM. Still, it’s not too late to recoup some of the team’s losses from that exchange, and the Leafs have an opportunity to do that this deadline before Carlo’s play potentially declines further.

Järnkrok has been in and out of the Leafs lineup this year, and is another easy piece for the team to sell off for some draft capital. He’s on the final year of his deal with a cap hit of $2.1 million.

Rielly has four years left on his contract after this season, with an annual cap hit of $7.5 million. There doesn’t seem to be major interest in him right now–and he doesn’t seem too interested in leaving–but that could change come this summer.

Several other Leafs have been floated as possible options for the Leafs to sell, though they haven’t been as hot on the rumour mill as the deadline approaches. The following names are all included on Tier 2 on Daily Faceoff’s board:

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.