Max Domi reacts to Leafs trading Nikita Grebenkin to Flyers [via IG/@greba71_]

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded winger Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for center Scott Laughton.

Grebenkin posted a carousel of pictures commemorating his time in Toronto on his Instagram following the trade. In the caption, he wrote:

“Thank you Toronto.”

One of the pictures had Grebenkin posing with Leafs superstar Max Domi, which the Leafs forward reposted on his own Instagram story. Domi shared a heartfelt parting message for the youngster as well.

“Philly got a good one. Good luck brother!” Domi wrote in the caption.“Удачи @greba71_,” he added in Russian, which translates to “Good Luck”.

via Instagram /@Max

In exchange for Scott Laughton, the Leafs also sent defenseman Conor Timmins and forward Connor Dewar to the Pittsburgh Penguins to stay under the salary cap. Fraser Minten was also traded to the Boston Bruins as part of the package for defenseman Brandon Carlo.

Grebenkin was drafted No. 135 overall in the 2022 NHL draft. He played seven NHL games for Toronto, then spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, registering nine goals and 21 points in 39 games.

Brad Treliving opens up on letting fan favorite Grebenkin Nikita go

The 22-year-old had already become a fan favorite in Toronto owing to his relentless work ethic on the ice. General Manager Brad Treliving acknowledged the difficulty of parting with future assets like Nikita Grebenkin while speaking to the media on Friday.

He also praised Grebenkin’s contributions and character but mentioned that to acquire players like Laughton and Carlo, the team had to give up some valuable talent.

“And Nikita, I think he sort of captured his personality, captured everybody there,” Treliving said via TheHockeyNews.com. “I said to him, you know, more backcheck and there’ll be a greater paycheck.“So to get good players, you’ve got to get good players,” he added.

Meanwhile, Flyers GM Daniel Briere seemed optimistic about Grebenkin’s game although he mentioned that the youngster needs to work and fit into their playbook.

“He seems very energetic,” Briere said via YahooSports.com. “He’s big-bodied and strong on the puck, can make plays. What we were told is he needs to work within a structure; he needs to learn to work within a structure. But there’s a lot there—the size, the energy, the competitiveness is high up.”

Prior to his time in Toronto, Grebenkin played parts of three seasons in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk where he tallied 28 goals and 67 points in 120 games.

He will now be reassigned to the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.