Roy traded to Avalanche by Maple Leafs for 2 draft picks

“We knew this was coming,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “It’s a tight-knit group in there. They won’t be happy about it. But, again, we put ourselves in this situation so this is what happens. … But, yeah, he was a guy we brought in and he’s played pretty well for us. Tough to see him go, but that’s the situation we’re in.”

Selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round (No. 96) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Roy has 186 points (73 goals, 113 assists) in 428 regular-season games for the Hurricanes, Golden Knights and Maple Leafs, and 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 79 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

He won the Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.

The Avalanche (41-10-9) are first in the NHL standings and six points ahead of the Dallas Stars for first in the Central Division. They visit the Stars on Friday (8 p.m. ET; Victory+, ALT).

The Maple Leafs (27-24-11) are seventh in the Atlantic Division, eight points behind the Boston Bruins, who hold the second wild card in the East, and have played two more games.

They have lost five straight games (0-3-2) since the Olympic break, and 11 of 14 (3-8-3).

“It’s hard,” Berube said. “For sure it’s hard. It’s been difficult here for a bit, especially coming out of the break. Going into the break with some positive things going on and then coming out of the break and losing four in a row, it’s tough. But I keep my head down and coach. I coach the players I’ve got that are going on the ice.”

In the event that the Avalanche’s 2027 first-round selection is in the top 10, they will send their unprotected 2028 first-round pick to the Maple Leafs. Colorado currently holds three fifth-round selections in the 2026 Draft; the lowest of those three picks will be transferred to Toronto as part of the trade.

On Wednesday, the Avalanche acquired defenseman Nick Blankenberg from the Nashville Predators for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft.

NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report