Craig Button Reveals What Leafs Player He'd Trade
There has been many debates in Hockey circles about the Toronto Maple Leafs and their future.
After a second round loss to the Florida Panthers, there have been questions about what to do next, and many conversations have been had about the Leafs Top 4 Forwards, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner & William Nylander, with all 4 being discussed if they could be moved to retool the Leafs lineup.
Now, a major NHL personality says, one of those four, has a very real possibility of being on the trade block.
TSN's Craig Button says that he wouldn't trade William Nylander, but says that the Leafs should focus their efforts on looking at moving Mitch Marner if the team moves on from any of their Core 4.
On TSN's SportsCentre, Button says that as he believes Auston Matthews will stay in Toronto, that he sees Marner and Nylander as the two most viable options for a deal, but says he would not trade Nylander.
Button says that the Leafs should explore a Marner trade, and said the Leafs should focus on adding a second line Center, as well as a top defenseman.
On the same panel, Cheryl Pounder agreed that the Leafs should add on Defense. Pounder also mentioned the importance of adding defensive minded grit on the top-six.
Button also brought up Captain John Tavares, saying that despite his No-Trade Clause, that a deal isn't impossible, but argues that Marner is the most trade friendly piece that Toronto has to offer.
It doesn't seem likely that Toronto is ready to transition given their commitment to the Core 4 group, but with all four eligible for free agency in the next two years, there are no doubt the Leafs have very real conversations about how long they can keep their top pieces together in the near future.
| POLL | ||
Which of the Leafs Top 4 Forwards would you trade? | ||
| Auston Matthews | 1212 | 22.2 % |
| John Tavares | 1630 | 29.9 % |
| Mitch Marner | 1163 | 21.3 % |
| William Nylander | 1447 | 26.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
