Toronto Maple Leafs trade centre Nicolas Roy to Colorado Avalanche for picks

Nicolas Roy reacts after scoring for the Maple Leafs against the New Jersey Devils in Toronto on Tuesday Dec. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — The Maple Leafs have made a move ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

Toronto dealt centre Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday for a conditional first-round pick at the 2027 draft along with a fifth-rounder in June.

In the event the first-round selection falls 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.

The trade signals the first of a series of moves expected ahead of Friday’s 3 p.m. cutoff by the Maple Leafs, who have woefully underperformed this season and are a long-shot to make the playoffs after nine straight appearances.

Roy had five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 59 games with the Maple Leafs after joining the club as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in the off-season.

The 29-year-old from Amos, Que., who carries a salary cap hit of US$3 million through the 2026-27 season, has put up 186 points (73 goals, 113 assists) in 428 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Golden Knights and Maple Leafs.

Selected with the 96th pick at the 2015 draft, Roy 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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press