The Maple Leafs should buy low on the former fifth overall pick Columbus refuses to give up on
Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to make a move for Kent Johnson despite the fact the Columbus Blue Jackets may not want to let their former fifth overall pick go.
Kent Johnson struggled this season with the Blue Jackets but is only one season removed from a 24-goal season. The Maple Leafs need to add some more youth and scoring up front, so he makes the perfect buy-low candidate given his $1.8-million deal. But Columbus has made it known they don't want him to go, so Toronto needs to make it worth their while.
Johnson, 23, had only 22 points in 76 games for the Blue Jackets this season to go along with a minus-8. However, he is a former fifth overall pick who just had a 24-goal, 57-point season in 2024-25 and clearly has the talent to produce at the NHL level.
But he's followed a pattern of strong starts accompanied by some struggles. After a strong rookie campaign in 2022-23 where he had 40 points in 79 games, he rebounded with a 16-point effort in 46 games the following year. Then came last season's outburst and this year's struggles. It's like the Blue Jackets don't really know what they are going to get from him.
Johnson appeared recently as #8 on Frank Seravalli's 2026 Trade Board but despite his struggles with consistency, it seems like GM Don Waddell doesn't want to risk losing him even as late as mid-April 2026:
No, we're not giving up and giving away 22-year old players.
Although Waddell may have gotten the age wrong when it comes to Johnson, the sentiment remains the same - he doesn't want to give him up for nothing; if anything at all.
Columbus is looking to potentially upgrade not only their top-six but also try and get some defensive help to replace a departing Erik Gudbranson, so with that being said, the Maple Leafs need to make an offer.
But what can they offer to help out Waddell? For starters, the team could give them Nick Robertson to replace Johnson. While he hasn't gotten the big numbers like Johnson has, he's more consistent and has improved year after year, and is only 24 with a lot of control still as an RFA.
Robertson, 24, had 34 points in 78 games and began to look a lot more like the scrappy, pesky winger that we expected him to be. If Columbus wants to add more reliability up front they get that in Robertson.
With the loss of Gudbranson as well, Brandon Carlo would make perfect sense as a cheap and reliable stay-at-home defenceman. He struggled this season with injuries and never really gelled once he got into the lineup.
Carlo, 28, makes $4.385-million and is a free agent after this upcoming season. He would be able to slot into the Top-4 with ease and could be a great mentor for Denton Mateychuk as well. Carlo also comes with playoff experience and actually would be the most experienced postseason player on their blueline.
Toronto also likely is going to need to sweeten things up for Waddell and could use their 2026 second-rounder to do so, and adding Johnson is essentially bypassing a draft pick for the chance to have young, NHL-ready talent now.
It may seem like a bit of a gross overpayment for Toronto and John Chayka but with the blueline going through an audit and Robertson potentially coming at fairly high cost through free agency, it makes sense to at least offer a package to Columbus.
Kent Johnson is a guy who can step into the Maple Leafs lineup and help now, he costs less than Nick Robertson, and he's able to fit into both the win-now timeline and what lies ahead for the future. It's time for Toronto to pick up the phone.
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