Maple Leafs trade Nicolas Roy to Avalanche for first-round pick, but there's a catch

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired center Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for two draft picks. 

Both picks are conditional, with a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick going Toronto’s way. 

However, the protections on that 2027 pick mean Toronto may have to wait a bit longer.

If Colorado’s 2027 first-rounder falls in the top 10 of the draft, the Avalanche would instead send their unprotected 2028 first-round pick to the Maple Leafs.

As for the fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft, Colorado owns three of them, its own, as well as the Boston Bruins’ and the Philadelphia Flyers’. The one that Toronto will receive will be the lowest of the three following the reveal of the draft order.

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This was Roy’s first season with the Maple Leafs. He was acquired in Toronto’s sign-and-trade, in which Mitch Marner was sent to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Since joining the Buds, Roy has featured in 59 games. In that time, he scored five goals and 20 points, spending most of his time as the team’s third-line center. He ended his Leafs tenure with an even plus-minus rating and averaged 14:45 of ice time under coach Craig Berube.

Roy travels to Denver with plenty of meaningful playoff experience under his belt. With a total of 79 post-season appearances, he won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023. During that playoff campaign, the 29-year-old center recorded three goals and 11 points in 22 contests.

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The Maple Leafs decided to scratch Scott Laughton, Bobby McMann, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. However, Roy played 17:55 of ice time in Toronto’s 4-3 shootout loss, registering one shot on goal.

Roy is added to the Avalanche’s books with a $3-million salary cap hit for this season and the next. Colorado has $6.8 million remaining in cap space to work with before the 3 p.m. EST deadline on Friday.

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