Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Steal Poised to Be Playoff X-Factor After Continuing to Turn Heads

Though it may have cost the Maple Leafs one of their top prospects in Fraser Minten, the team needed to add some much needed shutdown defense if they want a chance at success during the playoffs. So in came Brandon Carlo from the rival Bruins, and it gave Toronto another big-bodied blue liner.

It was expected that Carlo would bring some help and be a very solid addition to the team, but his recent stretch has shown that not only has he been good; but he's been a huge factor in Toronto's recent success.

Not only has Carlo been shutting it down in his own end, but he's been fantastic in terms of offense too, as Toronto's ability to score while on the ice is improved dramatically while he's with them.

Excelling above the average, Toronto been fantastic with Carlo on the ice, and the ability to control over two-thirds of expected goals for the team is an incredible feat of hockey sense.

Carlo is elite at tying up opponents in the slot, and his addition couldn't have come at a better time.

He's been a machine with 14 blocks and 13 hits in only seven games, and has been part of a three headed monster along with Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe, and will be a huge factor come playoff time.

He's also 6'5, 220 pounds; that's also a big deal in and of itself (no pun intended). It's hard to get things going when you have such an intimidating presence who also knows how to properly position himself.

It's a scary mix of size and smarts, which should play dividends for a long time.

It may have genuinely sucked that Toronto gave up Fraser Minten as part of the package to acquire Carlo.

But it was a necessary evil that brings the team that much closer to the Stanley Cup, and a win there will firmly show it was the right call, though the best results often require the harder path.