Under general manager John Chayka, the Toronto Maple Leafs have undergone several meaningful changes, both on the ice, behind the bench, and in their front office.
One of the moves made by Chayka was the trade of defenseman Brandon Carlo to the St. Louis Blues in return for picks No. 73 and 76 in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Carlo, who was coming off his first full campaign in Toronto after being acquired at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline by former GM Brad Treliving, now joins a Blues club looking to return to the postseason after missing earlier this spring – the same fate that befell Toronto.
During a recent appearance on “The Cam & Strick” podcast, Carlo shared his thoughts on Toronto’s leadership group, specifically singling out Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly, and captain Auston Matthews.
“I think it was more delegated throughout the group, but there were definitely some voices,” he said. “I felt like Jake McCabe was very well respected within that room and would speak up quite a bit. Morgan Rielly as well. I think he’s one of those guys. And Auston, It’s more so just when he does say something, everybody listens. It’s not like he’s gonna be harping on you every single time, but when he does speak up, you know, the whole room’s gonna listen. He’s your captain, amazing player, amazing person, and he’s definitely one of those guys.”
Matthews inherited the captaincy from John Tavares two summers ago in a move that raised eyebrows everywhere. Meanwhile, Rielly remains with the club and is the longest-tenured current member on the roster, while McCabe is set to enter his fourth full year in Toronto.
Brandon Carlo Was Acquired By The Toronto Maple Leafs In 2025
Carlo played 55 games in what turned out to be his only full season with the Maple Leafs, recording seven assists while also dealing with an injury.
Boston selected the veteran defenseman 37th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, and he made the Bruins the following season.
Carlo quickly established himself as a regular on Boston’s blue line, finishing his rookie year with six goals and 10 assists. But he would be traded to the Maple Leafs at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline for Fraser Minten, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, and a conditional 2026 first-round draft pick.
The Blues Were Happy To Add Brandon Carlo From The Maple Leafs
According to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, the addition of Carlo will not only benefit the players already on the St. Louis blue line, but also those who are trying to push their way into the lineup.
“We’re excited. He’s got the size and length, his ability to kill plays, his experience. I think it allows us to have four experienced players right now in (Philip) Broberg, (Colton) Parayko, (Cam) Fowler, and Carlo now, and then we have those young guys who are going to push and prod and try to work their way in there,” Armstrong said.
“The way we were set before, we were going to rely on three young players to take a big role, and things that we’ve tried to accomplish the last few days of getting stronger up front and having strong goaltending,” he continued. “We think we’re going to be more competitive than we were last year, and adding a defenseman there that can make us strong and also provide us the ability for the younger players to come at a more natural pace, and also provide us depth for injuries was important for us. I think it sort of piggybacks off of what we’ve done the last couple of days.”
Brandon Carlo Pulls Back Curtain On Maple Leafs Leadership Group