Brad Treliving watched his Atlantic Division counterparts make their moves.
The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager then pulled his own trigger ahead of the NHL trade deadline — right before an old rival popped up in new surroundings.
The club acquired centre Scott Laughton and defenceman Brandon Carlo on Friday as part of an arms race with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
"You're aware of what's going on in the neighbourhood," Treliving told the travelling media in Denver, where his team faces the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
The Leafs sent a conditional 2027 first-round draft pick and forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin to Philadelphia as part of the deal for Laughton.
The Flyers, who retained 50 per cent of his remaining US$3-million salary cap hit both this season and next, also shipped fourth- and six-round selections — in 2025 and 2027 — to Toronto. The first-rounder heading to the Flyers is top-10 protected.
The Leafs then acquired Carlo from the Boston Bruins for centre prospect Fraser Minten and a 2026 first-round pick — which is top-5 protected —.and a fourth-rounder in June.
Toronto had to move salary off its books for the trades to work.
The club dealt defenceman Conor Timmins and forward Connor Dewar to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fifth-round pick, while little-used tough guy Ryan Reaves cleared waivers and was assigned to the Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate.
Laughton and Carlo join a contender in the thick of a race with the Panthers and Lightning for first in the Atlantic.
The six-foot-one, 191-pound Laughton — a versatile, 30-year-old forward from nearby Oakville, Ont. — had 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 60 games with the Flyers in 2024-25.
The 20th overall pick in 2012 by Philadelphia registered 265 points (106 goals, 159 assists) in 661 regular-season contests for the franchise. He added 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 24 playoff games.
"He was emotional talking about coming home playing for the Leafs," Treliving said. "That was a really important chapter in his life in Philly, but he's excited to start one here."
The six-foot-five, 220-pound Carlo adds more size to a Leafs blue-line corps that has seen a lot of change since the summer.
The 28-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colo., selected 37th overall in 2015 by Boston has one goal and eight assists in 63 games this season.
"He's been on our radar for a long time," Treliving said. "You don't know when players are going to become available. (Bruins GM Don Sweeney) and I had talked for a while. Donny made a decision that he was going to go in a certain direction."
Carlo, whose contract runs through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $4.1 million that will see a 15-per-cent retention from the Bruins, has 109 points (29 goals, 80 assists) in 617 regular-season contests. He's chipped in 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 72 playoff games that included last spring's first-round playoff victory over Toronto.
Tampa made its big move earlier this week when the club re-acquired centre Yanni Gourde, who won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in both 2020 and 2021, from the Seattle Kraken. The deal also included winger Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The Panthers, meanwhile, snagged defenceman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks and depth goaltender Vintek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks leading up to Friday's 3 p.m. ET trade cutoff before making another big move.
The defending Cup champs grabbed Bruins captain and Toronto playoff nemesis Brad Marchand in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick in a trade that adds more grit and sandpaper to a roster already featuring Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett.
The Leafs, meanwhile, are in win-now mode with their core in its prime. The clock is also ticking.
Auston Matthews and William Nylander are under contract for the medium- and long-term, respectively, but fellow star forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares are both playing out the final year of their deals and could hit unrestricted free agency July 1.
The Leafs have a solid goaltending tandem in Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll — recent results aside — along with a defence corps boosted by off-season additions Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but clearly identified a couple of needs with Friday's moves.
"You pay attention to the league, but you're focused," Treliving said. "You've got to be real focused on and be disciplined on executing the plan."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
