It is well known that the Leafs may be facing a major shake up this offseason which could entail trading a core four member.
The core four consists of Maple Leafs star forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander.
Each one is a star in their own right but Leafs insider, Luke Fox, recently eluded to two potentially being favorites to be shipped off.
While this seems absurd that one of these two may leave, it actually could make sense.
The reason why shipping one out would make sense is because their cap hits are so high and it has handicapped the Leafs from building any form of consistent depth which is crucial in any cup winning team.
Each core four member has a cap hit over $6.9 million and three have cap hits over $10.9 million.
Nylander is the cheapest at that roughly $6.9 million mark which would mean he would be the easiest to move.
Marner is the next cheapest, but at nearly $5 million more. The flexibility that comes with Marner is how he is younger and just entering his prime and will be an asset to any team for years.
The reasoning why trading a Matthews or Tavares is relatively simple. Matthews is simply too good to be traded and Tavares has a No-Movement Clause in his contract which he says he won't waive.
That means if there is any major shake up in the Leafs lineup, it will likely come from the departure of Nylander or Marner.
POLL | ||
Who would you rather move? | ||
William Nylander | 454 | 63.3 % |
Mitch Marner | 263 | 36.7 % |
List of polls |