Former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Matthew Hlacar was recently let go by the franchise, but now he has found new life on a new team.
The Leafs purposely missed the deadline to sign Hlacar. The 2025 seventh-round draft pick subsequently went to the QMJHL, where he attended training camp with the Saint John Sea Dogs.
According to reporter Austin Kelly, there has been a sudden turn of events for the former Kitchener Rangers star. He has been signed by the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL.
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Now, Hlacar has a new chance to showcase his talents, and potentially get the attention of another NHL franchise.
Toronto moved on from Hlacar unusually quickly after taking a seventh-round gamble
Toronto drafted him just one year ago, 217th overall. He was a bit of a project prospect. The Leafs drafted him for his size, as they saw him as a physical forward who could throw the body around.
Last season, he only had six goals, 12 points, and a whopping 91 penalty minutes with the Kitchener Rangers. This was done in a total of 51 games.
Toronto subsequently declined to retain his rights rather than keep him in the prospect pool. With a new regime in the front office, John Chayka sent a message by moving on from Hlacar so quickly. It just goes to show that the Leafs no longer see the value.
Hlacar became one of the clearest examples of Toronto's new front office refusing to protect sunk draft capital simply because the organization had recently spent a pick.
Brantford now gets to test whether Toronto walked away before Hlacar's game finished developing
The Bulldogs now give Hlacar a new OHL opportunity. However, there are some important questions that he must answer.
Can he expand his game beyond toughness? Elements such as skating, discipline, secondary scoring, consistency, and overall usefulness will be taken into consideration.
If he becomes a legitimate impact player in the OHL, the Maple Leafs' decision becomes worth revisiting. If he remains limited in skill set, then the Leafs look justified.
Brantford is not reviving an NHL-ready prospect. Instead, they are giving Toronto's former seventh-round swing one more chance to prove there was more development potential than the Leafs were led to believe.
Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should have kept Matthew Hlacar?
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