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Leafs Trade Brandon Carlo to Blues for 2026 Picks

6/28/2026

Summary

Brandon Carlo Joins Blues

Toronto Maple Leafs traded Brandon Carlo to the St. Louis Blues for 73rd and 76th picks in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Carlo, 29, enters the final year of a $4.1 million contract, with the Blues assuming $3.485 million after Boston’s retention, freeing Toronto $3.49 million and leaving $22.28 million in cap space for GM John Chayka.
Acquired by Brad Treliving in March 2025, Carlo played 55 games for Toronto, posting seven assists and 19 minutes per game.

Summary

Toronto Frees Cap

The trade freed $4.1 million in cap space for Toronto, enabling pursuit of high-profile free agents after July 1.
Toronto used the 73rd-overall pick on Zach Olsen and the 76th-overall pick on defenseman Mans Gudmundsson.
St. Louis plans to pair newly-acquired Brandon Carlo with veteran Colton Parayko as a shutdown tandem.
General manager John Chayka added eight-year-extension defenseman Darren Raddysh and acquired right-handed defenseman Emil Andrae from Philadelphia.

Summary

Carlo Sets Record

Defenseman Brandon Carlo set a Maple Leafs franchise record by playing 88 games as a skater without scoring a goal.
He logged 19:22 ice time in the 2025-26 season despite a foot injury and is expected to contribute on the Blues’ penalty kill as a right-side defense option.
After Radko Gudas’s knee-on-knee hit on captain Auston Matthews, Carlo said he learned from the mistake and regretted not defending his goalie.

History

Historical Context

After the 2004-05 lockout ended with the July 13 2005 CBA that imposed a hard $39 million salary cap, Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL Board forced teams such as Toronto to trim payrolls. General manager John Chayka used that same cap logic in 2024, trading defenseman Brandon Carlo to the St. Louis Blues to clear $4.1 million, echoing the 2005 roster reshuffles.

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Brandon Carlo Joins Blues

Toronto Maple Leafs traded Brandon Carlo to the St. Louis Blues for 73rd and 76th picks in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Carlo, 29, enters the final year of a $4.1 million contract, with the Blues assuming $3.485 million after Boston’s retention, freeing Toronto $3.49 million and leaving $22.28 million in cap space for GM John Chayka.
Acquired by Brad Treliving in March 2025, Carlo played 55 games for Toronto, posting seven assists and 19 minutes per game.

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