Toronto/CMEDIA: The Maple Leafs have reportedly made a move ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
On Thursday Toronto dealt centre Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche for a conditional first-round pick at the 2027 draft along with a fifth-rounder in June.
Subject to the first-round selection falling inside the top-10, the Avalanche would instead send the Maple Leafs their unprotected first-rounder in 2028.
Toronto also gets the lowest of Colorado’s three picks in the fifth round of the 2026 draft as part of the swap.
In the first of a series of moves expected ahead of Friday’s 3 p.m. cutoff, the trade signals of the Maple Leafs, who have woefully underperformed this season and are a long-shot to make the playoffs after nine straight appearances.
After joining the club as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in the off-season, Roy had five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 59 games with the Maple Leafs. Having put up 186 points (73 goals, 113 assists) in 428 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Golden Knights and Maple Leafs, the 29-year-old from Amos, Que., carries a salary cap hit of US$3 million through the 2026-27 season.
Roy was Selected with the 96th pick at the 2015 draft and won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023 as part of a playoff career that has produced 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 79 contests.
