John Tavares makes feelings known about Leafs’ new additions of Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton

Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward John Tavares shared his early impressions of the team's latest acquisitions, Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton. The Leafs acquired Carlo from the Boston Bruins and Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers before the trade deadline.

In the aftermath of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 7-4 loss against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, Tavares praised the two new additions, highlighting their complementary skill sets and the attributes that he believes will resonate with the Leafs' fanbase.

"Yeah, two veteran guys that play a style that I think our fan base is really going to like. They complement our team really well—very smart hockey players who compete extremely hard and play in areas that don’t always get highlighted but are crucial." Tavares said.

Tavares pointed to Carlo's and Laughton's defensive abilities, shot-blocking, and playmaking as key assets that will strengthen the team.

"Their ability to defend, check, block shots, and make plays when needed stands out," Tavares noted. "I'm sure with all the travel, meeting everyone, and getting up to speed with how we play, there's a lot going on for them, but I thought they were good and will only get better from here."

For Laughton, the Leafs traded a conditional 2027 first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin to the Flyers, with Philadelphia retaining 50% of his $3M cap hit. The Flyers also sent Toronto fourth- and sixth-round picks (2025, 2027), while the first-rounder they received is top-10 protected.

Toronto sent prospect Fraser Minten, a top-5 protected 2026 first-round pick, and a fourth-rounder in June for Carlo.

John Tavares's take on Leafs' 7-4 loss against the Colorado Avalanche

Despite getting two goals each from Mitch Marner and John Tavares, the Leafs could not contain the Avalanche's offensive firepower. Anthony Stolarz has 27 saves in the loss.

"Yeah, obviously a very dangerous team offensively. They skate extremely well, and we put ourselves in a good spot, especially since we weren’t carrying most of the play through the first 40.” John Tavares said.

John Tavares credited goalie Anthony Stolarz for his strong performance and was pleased the Leafs capitalized on their chances early on.

However, he added:

“Just a few too many mistakes that led to chances for them, and we weren’t able to find another one in the third."

Valeri Nichushkin notched a hat trick for Colorado while Nathan MacKinnon added two goals in the win. Jonathan Drouin and Joel Kiviranta also scored for the Avalanche. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 17 shots.

The Leafs will aim to bounce back when they face the Jazz in Utah on Monday night.