The Scott Laughton trade has paid off for the Maple Leafs after the Sabres Game 7 loss

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Scott Laughton and were hoping Los Angeles got into the playoffs. They did, then the team received Buffalo's 2026 second-rounder. After the Sabres were eliminated, we know that pick is number 59; the same spot Michael Nylander was also picked at. One of Brad Treliving's most criticized deals gave John Chayka one of his best assets.

At the trade deadline this season, former GM Brad Treliving was on a selling spree, as he dealt away Nic Roy, Bobby McMann, and Scott Laughton in various deals to get some much needed draft capital.

Fans didn't like the moves considering how much more the team potentially could have gotten for them, and it was one of the factors that led to his dismissal. But it came with hope that if all went well, they could luck out.

With Buffalo's OT collapse to the Montreal Canadiens, it ended their season and solidified their spot in the draft, and it also gave the Maple Leafs a perfect chance to add some more firepower. That loss handed Toronto the 59th pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Let's take a quick look at who Toronto has drafted in the second round over the past few drafts:

- Tinus Luc Koblar (2025)
- Fraser Minten (2022)
- Matthew Knies (2021)
- Roni Hirvonen (2020)
- Nick Robertson (2019)

One interesting thing to note is that Michael Nylander; William's father, was drafted at 59th overall in 1991.

Honestly, besides Hirvonen who went overseas, the rest of that group is a pretty solid collection of picks. Koblar could be the next Adrian Kempe, and we've already seen the progress shown by Knies and Robertson.

Minten's name reappearing may open some old wounds for Maple Leafs fans, but you can't deny they hit a home run when they drafted him. Obviously Toronto can't guarantee who they pick will succeed but their previous track record shows that they can draft some heavy hitters in Round Two.

When Treliving traded a first round pick for Scott Laughton, it drew a lot of groans and eye rolls considering it was another traded first that only brought in depth; not a true star.

Laughton was beloved though in his short time here, and the locker room was a lot more united with him involved. He took Easton Cowan under his wing to make sure his transition into the NHL was a smooth one.

But Treliving tried to cut his losses and actually traded Laughton for a third round pick. Chayka lucked out when LA made the postseason because it actually gave him a little more to work with. Now that Buffalo lost, he finds himself with a much better predicament than we anticipated a couple months ago.

Look, we can't beat around the bush. The Laughton trade saga was a failure. Not because he was a bad player by any means but because of the logistics. Treliving scrambled, threw away a first with conditions and prayed that LA was good enough in that wide open Pacific Division to sneak in so his return didn't look like a complete dumpster fire.

But for all intents and purposes, Chayka is actually looking at quite the formidable draft pool with a fairly premium asset waiting to be dealt away or used to draft the next potential workhorse of the franchise. He's just lucky that Treliving's gamble paid off.

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