Matthew Hlacar was Toronto's 7th round pick in 2025 but after not finding time with Kitchener in the OHL, he's decided to sign elsewhere after his rights expired.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made some good selections in the 2025 NHL Draft with Tinus Luc Koblar and Tyler Hopkins, but also took a chance by drafting Matthew Hlacar. A reach even in the seventh-round, he was meant to add a bit of old-school toughness to the Treliving/Berube pipeline.
Toronto decided to move away from that type of player with the hiring of John Chayka and with them disposing of any remnants of the previous regime, they let Hlacar's rights expire. With that, he became a free agent and was able to sign elsewhere.
Matthew Hlacar lands with Saint John after becoming a free agent
Hlacar didn't manage to take too long to find a home, as he signed a deal with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL - at least to take part in training camp:
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Hlacar struggled to find time playing in Kitchener, and then when he was on the ice - had a hard time staying there. Not much of a scorer, he only put up 12 points in 51 games with the Rangers while adding 91 PIM and one point in 13 playoff games, but he was mainly brought in for toughness.
He was also suspended for six games early in the 2025-26 season after a dirty hit on Jakub Winkelhofer:
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A year removed from being an NHL draft pick, Hlacar now has to try and work his way back but even then it's not guaranteed. This is just a tryout, so if Saint John feels that he won't offer a well-rounded game then he may be cut in the future.
The Sea Dogs aren't short on NHL prospects as they have Montreal's Arseni Radkov, Tampa's Everett Baldwin, and Buffalo's Olivers Murnieks however weren't a strong team and finished last year with a 23-36-5 record.
Hlacar became one of the final remnants of the Berube and Treliving philosophy
While the Maple Leafs did well to add some intriguing pieces during their 2025 draft, there was a clear theme which was size, toughness, and defensive ability.
Hlacar was seen as a flier even then, though looking at what both Berube and Treliving valued from players - it makes sense why they'd take a risk. A seventh-round pick very rarely makes the NHL in the first place, and there was potential hope he could be an agitator who makes life tough for opponents.
Hlacar had no future in Toronto and he's hoping to find one in Saint John, but he'll need to work hard to prove he's more than just one-dimensional - and for Toronto, it closes Brad Treliving's chapter on his first draft class.
Did Toronto make a mistake by drafting Matthew Hlacar?
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