Former Maple Leafs Prospect from Ryan O'Reilly Trade leaves Toronto
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a few big moves at the deadline a season ago, but the biggest was landing Ryan O'Reilly, and in that move, they also picked up some solid prospects.
One name gone from Toronto
However, after not signing prospect Josh Pillar, he has now officially moved on from Toronto, opting to commit to the University of Saskatchewan for the 2023-24 season.
The 21-year old has been a solid contributor for the Saskatoon Blades for the past several years, but after failing to break out and make his mark in a big way, it makes sense if the Leafs wanted to focus on other, more talented prospects in the meantime.
Revisiting the trade
In the deal, the Maple Leafs acquired O'Reilly (departed), Noel Acciari (departed), and Pillar (now departed), while giving up several lower round draft picks, and after the team failed to make a deep playoff run or retain any of the names from the draft, it must be considered a major disappointment.
Regardless, the Maple Leafs are in a good position to succeed after a busy summer of free agent signings, and with Pillar considered a throw-in for this deal, it's not considered a major loss, but he could be a player to keep an eye on down the line if he continues to develop.
| POLL | ||
Can the Maple Leafs make it past the second round in 2023-24? | ||
| Yes | 707 | 79.9 % |
| No | 178 | 20.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
