Barring a complete miracle, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016, the same year in which they selected future team captain Auston Matthews with the first overall selection.
It’s been a struggle for the Maple Leafs to replace the offense lost by the departure of Mitch Marner, who registered a career-high 102 points in 2024-25 before being dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights in a massive sign-and-trade move during the offseason.
They’ve also dealt with numerous injuries to key players, including Matthews, Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz, William Nylander, and Calle Jarnkrok. Additionally, there has been rampant speculation that head coach Craig Berube may be being tuned out by his own players in the dressing room in only his second season behind the bench.
With the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline officially less than 48 hours away, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has signaled that there could soon be multiple players who are traded, and gave a major hint as to who they could be ahead of Wednesday evening’s tilt against former head coach Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs Announced Three Healthy Scratches For Tonight’s Game Against The New Jersey Devils
The Maple Leafs, who are nine points back of the final Wild Card postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, are in Newark to take on the New Jersey Devils.
However, they’ve announced that three players have been designated healthy scratches for the game, and they include defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forwards Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton.
The official Maple Leafs’ PR social media account confirmed that all three players are being held out for “roster management purposes”, which signals an imminent trade is on the horizon.
“F Scott Laughton, F Bobby McMann and D Oliver Ekman-Larsson will not dress for tonight’s game in New Jersey for roster management purposes,” the Leafs PR team wrote on X.
Ekman-Larsson, who has tallied eight goals with 27 assists for the Maple Leafs, is playing in his second campaign in Toronto after signing as an unrestricted free-agent from the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in 2024. He still has two seasons ($3.5 million cap hit) left on his contract.
McMann, who has been included in trade rumors for weeks now, is playing in the final season of his current two-year deal ($1.35 million cap hit). He’s just one goal away from matching his previous career-high of 20, which was set last season.
Laughton, whom the Maple Leafs acquired at last season’s Trade Deadline from the Philadelphia Flyers, has scored eight goals with four assists in 43 games played.
The Maple Leafs paid a steep price last March to acquire Laughton from the Flyers, sending prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick back to Philadelphia in return.
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The Maple Leafs Could Be Making Major Changes In The Next 48 Hours
The 2025-26 NHL season has been nothing short of a complete disappointment for the Maple Leafs, who appear to be on the verge of major changes.
There’s also no telling what kind of changes could be in store for the roster, or perhaps even behind the bench, once the offseason begins for them – which, in all likelihood, will be April 16, the day after their final regular season game.
Maple Leafs Signal Imminent Trades With Three Healthy Scratches