Maple Leafs load up prior to NHL Trade Deadline amid tight Atlantic race

TORONTO -- Now comes the litmus test for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On Thursday, Auston Matthews said he hoped Toronto management would augment the lineup before the NHL Trade Deadline passed at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, especially with the arms race going on around the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

“Of course, you’d love to see a boost, I think, with the way that we've played this year and the position that we're in right now,” the Maple Leafs captain said at the time.

Ask and ye shall receive.

Toronto was looking for a third-line center and defensive depth. In came forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins, acquired in separate trades Friday. Boxes checked.

In the end, general manager Brad Treliving and his staff filled the two most pressing needs on the roster.

But will it be enough to outduel the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, their Atlantic Division rivals who both loaded up as well?

That onus now falls on the players to prove they can after Maple Leafs management did its job.

Matthews and his teammates talked the talk. Time to walk the walk.

Treliving insisted the moves were not in response to the marquee additions made by the Panthers in defenseman Seth Jones and forward Brad Marchand, and by the Lightning in forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

But …

“You’re aware of what’s going on in the neighborhood,” Treliving said.

A tough neighborhood that just got tougher.

“You’re aware of that but you have to be careful of just reacting, right?” Treliving said. “You want to get as many good players as you possibly can but you’ve got to be careful of just saying, ‘One team did this, so you’ve got to do that.’

“You’re aware of obviously what’s going on around the League and in your division, your conference and all those things. But ultimately the job is to do what’s best for you, address areas you need to address, within your team setup, (NHL salary) cap-wise, roster-wise, all those types of things.”

In that regard, Toronto did exactly that.

Of the two incoming players, Carlo might be the key for the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division wars when all is said and done. The 28-year-old (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) is a right-handed shot who slots in beside Morgan Rielly to give Toronto a second shutdown pair, along with the duo of Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe.

When you consider the Maple Leafs in the postseason might have to face one of the most potentially intimidating lines in the League -- the Panthers’ Marchand, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk, should Florida coach Paul Maurice opt to go that way -- beefy defensemen with pushback are a necessity.

Perhaps the most head-scratching aspect of it all: Why would the Bruins trade Carlo and Marchand to division rivals?

Carlo has no answer for that. He’s just looking forward to a fresh start with the Maple Leafs, who have been eliminated by him and the Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round three times in the past seven years.

“I’m sure all the guys in Toronto will be great,” Carlo said. “I had the opportunity to play [at] World Juniors with Auston Matthews, so I’m a little bit familiar with him.

“As for my time in Boston, what a pleasure it was to play for that organization. I had a lot of fun and have so much respect for everybody there. But for me, it’s exciting to have another opportunity to do something big, and that’s what I’m hoping to do.”

Along with adding depth behind top two centers Matthews and John Tavares, Laughton, who grew up just west of Toronto in Oakville, Ontario, stands to help the Maple Leafs penalty kill, as underscored by the eight short-handed goals the 30-year-old has scored in the past five seasons.

Carlo and Laughton are expected to be in the lineup when the Maple Leafs visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; KTVD, NHLN, ALT, SNP, SNO, CBC). Given the standings right now, every game is vital, starting with that one.

The first-place Panthers (39-21-3) lead the Maple Leafs (38-21-3) by two points and the Lightning (37-21-4) by three in the Atlantic, with Toronto and Tampa Bay each holding a game in hand on Florida.

For the Maple Leafs, it’s imperative that they finish first in the division or face the reality of likely having to face the Panthers or Lightning in the first round.

The quest to avoid those matchups is in Toronto’s hands. The Maple Leafs still have three games remaining against the Panthers, including two at home, and one against the Lightning, on the road.

Yes, the Maple Leafs are a better team today. But so, too, are their two division rivals from the state of Florida, especially the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.

Let the real games begin.