Brandon Carlo emerges on Edmonton's radar as Toronto sorts its blue-line logjam before the deadline. The Bruins stalwart fits the Oilers' blueprint for shutdown depth on the right side. McDavid's crew hunts upgrades, and this one's got front-office phones lighting up.

The Toronto Maple Leafs sit at 27-21-9, six points out of a wild card spot with 25 games left, forcing GM Brad Treliving into a high-stakes call after last year's splashy deals for Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo fell flat. Their prospect cupboard yawns empty with just three draft picks this year, and whispers of flipping even Bobby McMann for a first-rounder grow louder as the Olympic break ends.

The Flyers eye a bidding war with the Bruins over a convoluted first-round pick tied to last year's Scott Laughton deal with Toronto. That conditional 2026 pick from the Leafs to Boston for Brandon Carlo now hinges on lottery odds, potentially shoving Toronto's 2027 first into the mix for Philly. Front offices hate these pick-swapping headaches, but with the deadline looming, Toronto holds all the cards on who gets what.

Fraser Minten keeps delivering for the Bruins nearly a year after Toronto shipped him out for Brandon Carlo, turning what looked like a deadline win for the Leafs into a Boston masterclass. The kid's lighting up the scoresheet as a rookie center, earning top-line minutes and coach Marco Sturm's ultimate praise as a steal.