The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t want to be left out before the trade deadline. The Boston Bruins had already offloaded Brad Marchand and weren’t done making deadline moves. At the last minute they worked out a deal to send Brandon Carlo to the Maple Leafs.
The details of the trade are still being worked out, but it looks like it was a three-team trade that involved Carlo going to Toronto, the Bruins picking up Toronto’s first round pick plus Fraser Minten and the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar from the Maple Leafs as part of the deal too.
It was as busy of a deadline move as you could have. Just when you thought Marchand to Florida was going to be the final big move, the Bruins had one final deal to work out.
What does Brandon Carlo add to Toronto Maple Leafs defense in trade deadline move?
Carlo has been an anchor for the Bruins defense throughout his entire career. In 617 career games with the Bruins, he scored 29 goals and was responsible for 109 points. He also has a career +129.
In 2025, he had nine points, one goal and a +2 on the year. With the Bruins out of playoff contention, they were looking to offload a lot and Toronto was more than interested.
Between his playoff experience and how well he’s played in the postseason, this was a home run move for Toronto. On top of that, Carlo is just 28 years old. He can be a key piece in getting Toronto on another playoff run.
The Maple Leafs have been to the playoffs the last eight seasons. They have just one series win during that time in 2023. They haven’t been to the conference finals since 2002. Adding Carlo into the mix might help them get over that hump.
The deal in adding Carlo was huge for a couple of reasons. For one, the Bruins made a surprising move, moving on from a young talent and defensive anchor. It was a huge addition for the Maple Leafs as they get a proven defenseman with playoff experience.
As good as the Maple Leafs have been the last few years in getting to the playoffs, they have struggled to win in the postseason. Maybe adding Carlo will do enough to push them on a playoff run.