The Maple Leafs trade board with Auston Matthews, William Nylander and every name Chayka has to decide on

John Chayka has a lot of work ahead of him to prepare the Maple Leafs to compete next season. He also has to deal with Auston Matthews' demands, a roster of aging veterans on expensive deals, and a brand new coach to find.

So with a lot of things to do, it would be a lot easier if he knew who to focus on so luckily for him, we're about to save him the work and list the Toronto Maple Leafs who could be dealt.

While Chayka could feasibly trade anyone, we are going to start off with the untouchables because it's best to get the ones who have no chance of leaving out of the way first.

- Matthew Knies (23, $7.75-million until 2031)
- Easton Cowan (20, $900,000 until 2029)
- Ben Danford (20, $931,000 until 2030)
- Gavin McKenna*
- Dennis Hildeby ($841,000 until 2029)
- Artur Akhtyamov ($900,000 until 2030)

Knies is 23 years old, just had 66 points in 79 games and is locked up with a very reasonable deal for the next six seasons. There were reports that teams view him higher than Auston Matthews but Toronto smartly said no. He's a future superstar in the league and potentially Toronto's next captain.

Cowan and Danford are the two top prospects in the system right now and with Cowan just coming off a very good rookie season and Danford being viewed as someone who can help as early as next year; they're off limits.

McKenna hasn't been drafted yet though it's highly likely he's the guy that the Maple Leafs and GM John Chayka go after, and there's no way he's getting dealt.

Both Toronto's goalies could offer a great package but with questions about the health of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz; they need insurance. Two potential starters who can handle playoff pressure is rare and Toronto has four of them now; plus Hildeby and Akhtyamov have both signed long-term extensions - they're part of the future.

So now, we're going to take a look at the rest of the roster and how it shapes up.

- Anthony Stolarz (32, $3.75-million until 2030)
- Brandon Carlo (28, $4.385-million until 2028)
- Simon Benoit (27, $1.35-million until 2028)
- Philippe Myers (29, $850,000 until 2028)
- Steven Lorentz (30, $1.35-million until 2029)

Stolarz is a guy who is elite when he's healthy but a liability when he's hurt. Sadly, the latter happens a lot more than the former and with a big extension kicking in and questions about reliability, it's hard to see where he fits.

A team like New Jersey or Philadelphia could use him to shore up their goaltending, and is still fairly young at 32; but those injuries and the rookie pipeline makes him expendable.

Carlo is a guy who has gotten a lot of flak considering he was the centrepiece of the Fraser Minten deal that nearly crushed Toronto's hopes had they not lucked out in the draft lottery. At only $3.485-million and still a top-four shutdown defender, he could be used to bring in a puck-mover considering how many big bodies Toronto has.

We're packaging Myers and Benoit together because they are basically the same player. Defensively mediocre and nothing more than depth. Their one benefit is the cost, and trading them for peanuts will be easier knowing Chayka wants to make a serious change because they won't really be expensive for anyone.

Lorentz is someone who had a great debut with the Maple Leafs last year but immediately regressed defensively in his fist year since signing an extension and with several AHL players ready for a call-up; he's expendable.

- Nick Robertson (24, $1.825-million, RFA)
- Matias Maccelli (25, $3.425-million, RFA)
- Max Domi (31, $3.75-million until 2028)
- Jake McCabe (32, $4.5-million until 2030)

The list shortens when it comes to bubble names because honestly, it's easier to say who needs to go than who should get a second chance. Robertson is due to another pay raise though just had career highs, and it's up to Chayka to decide if he fits into the data-driven game plan or if he best used to bring more assets aboard.

Maccelli is an RFA who was brought in to try and add some playmaking to the top-six but barely managed a chance. He was finally comfortable in the bottom-six towards the latter half of the year, and at only 25; he's still got time to grow. But much like Robertson, it's about the deep analytics that will decide his fate.

Domi is a name who likely should be dealt but given his closeness with Auston Matthews, Chayka and Mats Sundin, it's almost inevitable he stays. The only way he moves off the team is if he regresses off a cliff and is an active detriment every time he's on the ice. He has some issues clearly, but there's shades of a good player still there.

McCabe likely won't be dealt either and just signed a long-term extension, but if the Maple Leafs are offered someone who is an elite puck-mover in exchange for him - they should think about it.

- Auston Matthews (28, $13.25-million until 2028)
- Morgan Rielly (31, $7.5-million until 2030)
- William Nylander (30, $11.5-million until 2032)

Matthews is the captain and someone who is going to have a long list of demands that plays heavily into a lot of the names on this list. But if he still remains unconvinced and wants out, then Toronto has to entertain every single blockbuster offer sent their way. With Gavin McKenna on the horizon, Matthews could bring back an insane package that gives McKenna help for a decade.

Rielly is someone who has been tossed around heavily in rumours and had a trade in the works involving Darnell Nurse, and while he needs to go; it's not easy. He is expensive, regressing and someone who is deeply engrained within the Maple Leafs ethos. Losing Rielly is great on-ice but the locker room loss is a huge negative.

Nylander is someone whose future is directly linked to Matthews' future as he doesn't really have a fit with the team if they are moving in a different direction. He's also a very expensive player who while elite; doesn't offer a complete package, though with the onus being on Swedish players and maybe Ivar Stenberg in their future; he's likely staying.

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