I’ve been saving this piece for a while and originally was going to write about Auston Matthews, who is due for a giant payday starting tomorrow. I instead want to hit Leafs fans with a dose of hard reality and that is, as of now on paper the Toronto Maple Leafs are not Stanley Cup contenders.

It sucks to hear but seeing this any other way is simply being blind to your surroundings. The whole run-it-back philosophy is something that can’t continue to go on even with a new general manager in Brad Treliving at the helm.

Change is surely bound to happen and we can look at the two players I think can be moved and the two players of the core 4 I think stay.

As for staying, you keep Auston Matthews because of the glaringly obvious, a franchise player who you can build around who has an MVP to his name. To add the cherry on top of his stack of accomplishments, he was the first overall pick in 2016. The other is your captain, John Tavares, I know his play isn’t worth his AAV of 11 million.

He chose to do what so many others have avoided and, to come home to play for the Maple Leafs, plus after his deal expires at the end of the 2024-2025 season I suspect he will resign on the cheap to end his career with the blue & white.

For the who I think can or will go. First is William Nylander, like Matthews his contract is done at the end of the season, and he is going to want a raise from his current AAV of 6.9 million per season.

The Maple Leafs could sell high on Nylander and get picks and players who honestly come playoff time, can be impactful down the lineup. The other is Mitch Marner, now he is the local kid too like Johnny, but his contract is due to be up after 2024-2025, he did hold out, which Nylander also did back in 2018. Marner’s did last shorter. But let’s be honest, Marner is the player I think should go, sure he is good but the team needs a Kawhi Leonard-like move in which franchise cornerstone Demar DeRozan was shipped out of town.

Tough decisions should be made but sadly, I don’t see a major move happening and I don’t see the goal song changing from Hall & Oates next season as well. But hey prove me wrong Shanny and Brad.