The Toronto Maple Leafs have been pursuing playoff success for the last eight years and they have attempted to put together a stronger team for this year’s postseason. They have acquired forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers and Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins. In addition to those moves, the Maple Leafs have placed veteran forward Max Pacioretty on long-term injured reserve.
Pacioretty will have to miss at least three more games before he is eligible to come off injured reserved. The first game he would be eligible to play would be a March 15 home game against the Ottawa Senators.
While the Leafs have been playoff performers for each of the last eight seasons, they have won just one postseason series. They defeated the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2023, but they have been on the short end of every other playoff series. Three of those defeats came at the hands of the Boston Bruins, and all of their losses to Boston came in 7 game.
The arrival of Laughton and Carlo should give the Maple Leafs more depth. Laughton figures to step in to the Maple Leafs lineup as the team’s No. 3 center. Auston Matthews and John Tavares are Toronto’s top two centers, so they don’t need Laughton to be a big-time scorer. However, they do need him to take advantage of openings, pass to wingers Bobby McMann and Max Domi and play a solid all-around game.
Carlo gives the Leafs a chance to improve on defense
Carlo is a steady defenseman who should be able to fill a major need for the Leafs. While Toronto has demonstrated defensive improvement this year, weaknesses in that area have regularly cropped up during the postseason. Carlo has an excellent understanding of how to break up opponents’ offensive forays and is rarely out of position.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube should give Carlo an opportunity to play on the team’s top pairing with Morgan Rielly. If those two develop a strong working relationship, the Leafs will have a chance to overcome the defensive shortcomings they have had in the past.
The 30 year-old Laughton has scored 11 goals and 16 assists so far this season, but his minus-17 rating is concerning. He is in his 12th season in the NHL, and he has been with the Flyers throughout his career.
Carlo has been with the Bruins throughout his 9-year career. He has had a plus-rating throughout his career. He is plus-2 this season, plus-23 last year and a career-best plus-44 in 2022-23.
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