On Friday evening, the Toronto Maple Leafs added an incredible young piece to their roster when they drafted Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. On Saturday, prior to the team continuing to add, though, they did confirm a fairly significant subtraction from the roster.
The Maple Leafs' acquisition of Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning last week has led to a very crowded blueline in Toronto. As such, newly-appointed Leafs GM John Chayka had to figure out a way to offload someone, and he found a great way to do that on day two of the draft by parting with veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo.
Brandon Carlo traded for pair of 2026 draft picks
Hindsight is always 20-20, and looking back on the trade that Brad Treliving made at the 2024 trade deadline, Fraser Minten and a 1st-round draft pick was far too much to give up for Carlo. The deal looks even worse when you compare it to the return that Chayka received from the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. The Leafs announced during the 2nd round of the draft that they had acquired a pair of 3rd-round picks from the Blues in exchange for Carlo, picks number 73 and 76.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 27, 2026
Zach Werenski linked to Maple Leafs
As it turns out, though, Leafs Nation may have something to distract them from sulking over the weak return for Carlo in comparison to what they gave up to acquire him. Why? Because TSN's Pierre LeBrun has linked the club to an elite NHL defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets blueliner Zach Werenski.
Pierre LeBrun on Zach Werenski:
— Willyston Riellander (@nylanderthews) June 27, 2026
"The one Canadian team that the Team USA Olympic gold medal winner might consider, by the way, is the Toronto Maple Leafs."
LeBrun also confirmed that the Blue Jackets do not want futures in exchange for Werenski, but NHL players rather than picks or prospects. This is certainly good news for the Maple Leafs as the team is not exactly bursting at the seams with future talent and/or draft picks that they want to trade.
A Werenski trade could be a costly endeavor for the Maple Leafs
Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, if they do want to take a serious run at acquiring Werenski, it's going to open up some very difficult conversations, potentially involving a player like Matthew Knies just to get things started.
Obviously, this is an evolving situation, and the Blue Jackets are not in any rush to move Werenski. The 28-year-old superstar is under contract through 2027-28. He has produced 82 and 81 points in each of the last two seasons, respectively.