Toronto Maple Leafs fans erupt over weak McMann and Laughton returns
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Fans are not too pleased with Toronto's return packages for Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann as they got much less value out of them than anticipated and it's starting to get really tough for Brad Treliving to talk his way out his current situation.
Toronto stayed true to their promise at least to some extent as the team traded both Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton in separate deals to Seattle and Los Angeles respectively, with the return being a 2027 2nd-rounder, a 2026 4th-rounder, and a conditional 3rd-round pick all together; it's a decent haul all things considered.
But that was not good enough, as Treliving had several higher value offers supposedly on the table but in the last-minute deal he sent McMann for what he could; a problem due to his insistence on being patient, and there were potentially firsts on the table.
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That wasn't good enough for the team nor for the fans, as the reaction on social media were calling for Treliving to explain his lack of real moves:
The McMann deal seemed to earn a lot of criticism, and for good reason, with all reports indicating that Toronto was going to get some type of value; and with three retention slots open they could have made McMann even cheaper to appease some teams.
Laughton's deal also sparked a lot of fury online given that he got a third round pick and he was traded last season for not only a first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin, and it's brought a lot of flak for GM Brad Treliving -- and the pitchforks seem to be out in full force:
It's a genuine failure that Treliving was unable to recoup at least a better pick or add a prospect into the mix, and it shows the desperation the team was facing when shipping off assets.
Former NHL All-Star John Scott also piped in, and while his anger wasn't directed towards Treliving, he does seem to believe that a lot of GM's didn't do exactly what they were expected to do:
It's going to be interesting to see how Brad Treliving explains how the market shifted and why the team rushed into a desperate situation. The most damning part? They had weeks during the Olympics; they had months prior to that. It's less 'market dictates' and more 'very bad management'.
The more things change, the more they stay the same and for Brad Treliving he did what he could, but it wasn't enough for anyone to be happy -- team or fans.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
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| POLL | ||
MARS 7|769 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs fans erupt over weak McMann and Laughton returns Did Brad Treliving get a good return for Laughton and McMann? | ||
| Yes | 119 | 15.5 % |
| No | 650 | 84.5 % |
| List of polls | ||