Three-team first-round pick trade just got more complicated

A first-round pick originally included in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ acquisition of Scott Laughton has suddenly become one of the most complicated draft assets in the NHL.

The situation became so confusing that the league itself was forced to step in and clarify exactly who will receive which pick.

At the center of the issue is Toronto’s 2027 first-round selection, which was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the Laughton trade in March 2025. However, that pick became entangled with another future first-rounder that Toronto had previously traded to the Boston Bruins in the Brandon Carlo deal.

When the Maple Leafs unexpectedly won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, protection clauses attached to both trades were triggered, creating uncertainty over how the conditions would be applied.

The NHL has now issued its ruling.

Philadelphia will receive Toronto’s 2027 first-round pick, while Boston will receive Toronto’s 2028 first-round pick.

However, the story doesn’t end there.

The Flyers’ pick remains protected if it lands inside the top 10 of the 2027 NHL Draft. Should that unlikely scenario occur, Toronto would be permitted to transfer the pick to Boston instead, with Philadelphia receiving Toronto’s 2028 first-round selection.

In other words, the final outcome still isn’t completely settled.

Adding another twist to the story, Scott Laughton is no longer even a member of the Maple Leafs. Toronto moved the veteran forward to the Los Angeles Kings ahead of the 2026 trade deadline in exchange for a conditional third-round pick.

What began as a relatively straightforward trade has now evolved into one of the strangest draft-pick situations currently on the NHL’s books.