It’s fair to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line mix isn’t working. Through 16 games, they’ve allowed 60 goals — third most in the NHL — and the reshaped core that was expected to be a strength has become a nightly guessing game.
For a team with playoff aspirations, the offseason questions were supposed to revolve around how its forwards would perform without Mitch Marner. The fact that their blue line is a problem has become a real concern.
One name attracting increasing attention is Brandon Carlo.
Was Carlo The Right Fit For the Maple Leafs?
Toronto paid a hefty price to acquire Carlo at the trade deadline — forward Fraser Minten, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. What the Maple Leafs were supposed to be getting was a 28-year-old stay-at-home defenseman ready to stabilize Toronto’s blue line.
That hasn’t quite panned out as expected. His stat line — two assists and a +2 rating isn’t so bad that the Maple Leafs are panicking and trying to get out of his contract, but there’s been talk, more than once, that they’d be open to a trade. That’s understandable considering he still doesn’t look completely comfortable.
Brandon Carlo, Toronto Maple Leafs (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)
Our own Peter Baracchini writes:
“Over the past week, there have been countless times where they turn the puck over and the defense are left scrambling to try and salvage and negate a play. … Their careless play and poor puck management was evident as their sloppy play in all three zones led to turnovers, rush chances and goals against. This kind of play to start the season is a cause for concern given how this is still the same defensive unit from last season.”
Perhaps the Leafs should have pulled the trigger on a trade that was seemingly in the chamber.
Did the Maple Leafs Have a Trade Done That Involved Carlo?
Now comes word, via The Athletic’s James Mirtle, that Toronto actually tried to trade Carlo in the offseason.
The Maple Leafs reportedly discussed a deal that would’ve sent him to the Buffalo Sabres for winger JJ Peterka — a swap that, in hindsight, might have aged well for both sides. Buffalo ultimately shipped Peterka to Utah for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring, while Toronto doubled down on Carlo.
Related: 3 Areas the Maple Leafs Need to Address Immediately
At the time, Toronto didn’t like depleting their blue line to get the deal done, but Mirtle notes, “I think there’s buyer’s remorse for the Leafs with Carlo in the organization.”
He added:
“And it’s telling that when they were looking at trading for a top-line winger, they were looking at moving him. And in hindsight, they were looking at moving Carlo in a deal for Peterka with Buffalo, and he would have been the Kesselring piece that Buffalo ended up getting, the big right-shot defenseman. And in hindsight, that would have worked out pretty well…”
It’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been. Peterka has played well for the Mammoth and been far more impactful for that team than Carlo in Toronto. He’s not exploded offensively, but he would have added the kind of speed and secondary scoring punch this team desperately lacks beyond William Nylander.
The question now is, will GM Brad Treliving revisit the idea that Carlo is a viable trade piece before the 2026 deadline?
