The Toronto Maple Leafs’ season has gone off the rails. A three-game winning streak heading into the Olympic break has already been erased thanks to three consecutive blowout losses to divisional opponents in Tampa Bay, Florida, and Ottawa.
As a result, if GM Brad Treliving was on the fence about his trade deadline plans, his team just made the decision a lot easier: sell. The chatter continues to suggest the roster turnover won’t go too deep, but with the way things have unraveled lately, some believe wholesale change is necessary.
Maple Leafs reporter Howard Berger is firmly in that camp, insisting they approach both Auston Matthews and William Nylander about waiving their no-movement clauses to facilitate trades out of Toronto this summer.
“Neither Matthews nor Nylander could lead an army of ants to syrup. Barring a miracle, Doug Gilmour–like trade that turns around the franchise, it will require more than half–a–decade to undo and repair the damage from the Brendan Shanahan–Kyle Dubas administration. A good start would be to unload whichever players can be moved before next Friday. Try to regain some draft capital. Then, after the season, take the initiative and tell Matthews and Nylander — unequivocally, to their faces — that the franchise no–longer wants them. It’s been a fruitless decade. Both need to waive their contract privileges and accept a trade. Only then will the Leafs be in position to arrest their slide. It matters not who owns, manages or coaches the club. Recognize and acknowledge, if a frustrated fan, that no other course of action will suffice,”
The 28-year-old Matthews is in year two of the four-year, $53 million extension he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2023, while Nylander, 29, is also in year two of the eight-year, $92 million extension he signed to stay in 2024. Both players possess those aforementioned no-movement clauses throughout the entirety of their respective deals.
Matthews has had an up-and-down offensive season, recording 51 points (26 goals, 25 assists) through 54 games. Nylander, on the other hand, has been productive despite missing chunks of time due to injury, with 55 points (19 goals, 36 assists) in just 43 games played.
Either player being moved remains highly unlikely and certainly won’t happen before March 6. That said, the uglier this situation becomes, the more the front office and ownership may feel compelled to at least explore every possible option.
They butchered the Mitch Marner departure, along with several other missteps in recent years, so it’s hard for Maple Leafs fans to have much confidence in the organization turning things around quickly through a retool — whether 34 and 88 are there or not.
Next: Maple Leafs Fans Split in Auston Matthews’ Return to Toronto After Olympics
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