If you think that the end of the season no longer means anything in Toronto, you are mistaken. The final games will have huge implications for the Maple Leafs, but also the Bruins. All because of a mess of conditional choices that strangely reminds us of the Kent Hughes trade for Sean Monahan two years ago.
In the Brandon Carlo trade to Toronto last year, the Maple Leafs gave up a 1 pickis conditional round in 2026 to the Bruins which will be postponed to 2027 if, after the lottery, he ends up in the top 5.
Auston Matthews‘ season is over. The Maple Leafs are at 25e rank in the general classification. If they continue to get bogged down, they could therefore draft in the top 5 this year.
But if they don’t dive deep enough into the abyss, they might also give their 6e choice to the Bruins.
For the Maple Leafs, it’s the difference between a fiasco that could take years to recover from and an unexpected chance to save the franchise.
Imagine, for example, what Brad Treliving could get in return for Matthew Knies and a top-5 pick this summer. There would be something better to surround Auston Matthews and William Nylander and make a quick turnaround.
And if Toronto’s choice finishes just on the edge of the top 5, the Bruins will be dying of laughter. They are fighting for the playoffs right now.
We wouldn’t blame Don Sweeney if, during the final games of the regular season, he celebrated a goal in his living room that moved Toronto from 28e au 27e rank in the general classification.
Obviously, the lottery will have a say.
The story doesn’t end there, though. Tie on your hat, it will be difficult to follow.
Like Monahan in 2024
You probably remember the trade that brought Monahan to Montreal in the summer of 2024. Kent Hughes also obtained a 1 pickis turn of the Flames, who thanked him for taking the contract.
It was also one of the most complex trades in NHL history, as the pick of 1is turn of the Panthers that the Flames possessed was included in the conditions negotiated at the time between Hughes and… Treliving. The latter was then architect of the Flames.
Depending on different scenarios, the CH could receive the choice of Calgary or the choice of Florida. The Habs finally inherited the Flames’ choice in 2025, on 16e in total. He gave it to the Islanders with his 15e selection to get Noah Dobson.
Something similar happened in the trade that took Scott Laughton from the Flyers to the Maple Leafs last year.
The Maple Leafs gave their pick of 1is tour in 2027. With conditions, obviously. If you’ve been following closely, you remember that Toronto is giving its 2027 pick to the Bruins if they get a top 5 selection in the 2026 draft.
As with Monahan, there is an intersection between two exchanges, here those of Carlo and Laughton.
Here’s how it works, roughly.
- If Toronto’s pick finishes outside the top 10 in 2027, the Flyers receive that pick, and the Bruins instead receive a pick of 1is tower without protection for 2028.
- If Toronto’s 2027 pick finishes inside the top 10, the Maple Leafs can give their 2027 pick to the Bruins and their 2028 pick to the Flyers… or vice-versa, whichever they prefer.
A chance that Treliving managed to snatch a pick 1is tour in 2027 to the Colorado Avalanche for Nicolas Roy at the last deadline. Because otherwise, the Maple Leafs could have not drafted at 1is tour two years in a row.
In the NHL, there is nothing worse for a team than losing and having no future. A moribund team can always cling to the hope of better days.
A demolition job like that of the Maple Leafs could cause irreparable consequences that would be felt for years.
But the tide may shift if the Leafs continue to be mediocre by the end of the season.
So if you are a supporter of the CH, don’t be too quick to rejoice in the failures of the Toronto rival between now and April.
If you’re rooting for the Bruins, it’s a different story. If the Leafs are falling in the standings too quickly for your liking, have your home goal light on for every Toronto goal.
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