The Toronto Maple Leafs are involved in every trade rumor around the NHL. However, the organization in The Six is not losing sight of what’s truly important. On that note, the Buds re-signed a key prospect in the system, who could make the jump into Auston Matthews‘ lineup.
The Maple Leafs know they have their work cut out for them in the 2025-26 NHL season. After the recent misstep in the postseason and the summer drama, there’s only one way to ease the tension in Hogtown. But first, Toronto must put the final pieces together to its roster. On that note, the latest signing could play a pivotal role.
As the Maple Leafs announced, defenseman William Villaneuve has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with the franchise. Villaneuve has yet to make his NHL debut. Still, after a strong year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, he could be set to make the jump onto the lineup led by Matthews.
Making his case
Villeneuve recorded 40 points (4 goals, 36 assists) in 55 games during the 2024–25 AHL season. The former fourth-round pick in 2020 led all defensemen in points and ranked fourth overall in total tallies.
Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs heads to practice prior to playing against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field on March 12, 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
At the moment, the Buds appear set on the blueline, but they never know when they might need to call up reinforcements from the Marlies. If a need arises on defense, Villeneuve stands as the frontrunner for a promotion to the big leagues.
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Who could be on the move?
Toronto isn’t exactly swimming in cap space, but there’s enough room to maneuver. However, if the Buds want to make big moves during the NHL campaign, they’ll likely need to part ways with key veterans. Most fingers point to blueliners Brandon Carlo and Morgan Rielly.
However, there’s a catch—and there seemingly always is when it comes to Matthews’ Leafs. Both Carlo and Rielly have some form of job security built into their contracts. Carlo has two years remaining on his deal, which includes a modified no-trade clause (M-NTC) with an eight-team no-trade list. There is, however, a slim silver lining for Toronto: the Boston Bruins retain 15% of Carlo’s $4.1 million cap hit.
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Rielly, on the other hand, is under contract for the next five years with a $7.5 million AAV deal that includes a full no-movement clause (NMC). Therefore, for the Leafs to move either blueliner in an effort to clear cap space, they’d need to convince the players to waive their clauses. In Carlo’s case, that would mean trading him to one of the 23 teams he’s approved to be dealt to.
