I argued for months that the organization’s top priority really should be a top-four right-handed defenseman, but however you want to order them, it was clear that the Leafs needed to fill both needs. Ultimately, they acquired both Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo, and while they did trade for Laughton first chronologically, it’s telling that they paid more and aimed higher with the Carlo acquisition to improve their defense.
The clear benefit of acquiring a top-four right-handed defenseman is that the defense group falls into place. They already have a strong top pairing with Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev.