NHL Insider Addresses Possible Breakup of Maple Leafs' Core Four
As the Toronto Maple Leafs head into another offseason marked by disappointment, the spotlight remains fixed on their long-standing Core Four and what might happen next.
Advertisement
Following a second-round collapse against the Florida Panthers, speculation has grown about whether general manager Brad Treliving will break up the group that has consistently fallen short in the postseason, even more after he claimed the "DNA has to change" during his final media availability.
Despite those remarks and steady calls for major change, analysts Bryan Hayes and Darren Dreger are not convinced that trades involving Auston Matthews or William Nylander are on the table.
Speaking on TSN's "OverDrive" on Monday, Hayes pushed back against the idea that Toronto could shop any of the big names outside of Mitch Marner in an offseason trade.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) speaks with Mitch Marner (16), William Nylander (88), and Matthew Knies (23) at Scotiabank Arena.Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
"They're not trading Matthews or Nylander," Hayes said. "I just can't see it, man.
Advertisement
"Matthews, they're not moving off. Nylander is a year into an eight-year (contract with a) full no-move (clause). Willy's not going anywhere. I just don't think Willy would waive."
Hayes pointed to the Maple Leafs' past behavior—with all of Marner, Nylander, and Matthews having signed at least one contract extension in Toronto—as further evidence that the club won't pressure their top stars to move.
"They've never shown at any point a scenario where they felt like they would make things uncomfortable or they would try to do that," Hayes said.
Dreger, speaking on "Leafs Morning Take" on May 23, precisely pointed toward that trend while echoing Hayes' sentiment.
Advertisement
The insider, however, dismissed the idea of Matthews being part of any bold shift unless he requests a trade.
"Come on, this guy is an absolute stud; he's a superstar," Dreger said. "For it to happen with Matthews at any point in the foreseeable future, that would be on him."
Related: NHL Insider Adds Fuel to Connor McDavid-Maple Leafs Speculation
Related: Only One Thing Could Make Maple Leafs Trade Auston Matthews, Insider Believes
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kraken Agree To A Two-Year Deal With Ryker Evans
The Seattle Kraken have signed the third and final RFA on their NHL roster, agreeing to a two-year, $2.05 million contract with defenseman Ryker Evans. The 23-year-old played his first full season up in the NHL, scoring five goals and 25 points in 73 games. Evans looked comfortable in the NHL, playing as a top-four defenseman while Vince Dunn was out with an injury and on the third pairing when the Kraken defense core was healthy. 'Ryker took a positive step forward in his first full season in the NHL,' Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said. 'Since turning pro, he's shown improvement year over year, and we're confident he'll take his game to another level next season. We're happy to have him under contract." Evans was a second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, now skating in 109 NHL games in his career. Evans is shaping up to be a large part of the Kraken's future as they shift into a new era focusing on youth. Evans is a stout defender with solid puck skills that make him a dual threat. He was selected to Team Canada's World Championship roster, where he got to rep the Maple Leaf for the first time in his career. In eight games, Evans recorded two assists and a plus-6. With Dunn and Ryan Lindgren seemingly pencilled into the top four, it appears Evans will start the season as a third-pairing defenseman, but he'll be given every opportunity to fight for a larger role.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Defenceman Ryker Evans agrees to 2-year extension with Seattle Kraken
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Kraken defenceman Ryker Evans agreed Monday to a two-year contract extension, which carries a $2.05 million average annual value and runs through the 2026-27 NHL season. The 23-year-old Evans recorded 25 points on five goals and 20 assists in 73 games during his first full season with the Kraken. Seattle's second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Evans made his NHL debut Dec. 7, 2023. 'Ryker took a positive step forward in his first full season in the NHL,' general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. 'Since turning pro, he's shown improvement year over year, and we're confident he'll take his game to another level next season. We're happy to have him under contract.' The 6-foot, 195-pound defenceman from Calgary, Alta., has 34 points in 109 NHL games. He made his international debut with Team Canada at this year's world hockey championship, where he recorded two assists in eight games. ___ AP NHL: Andrew Destin, The Associated Press
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Mammoth Maul Buffalo As Utah Seeks First Playoff Appearance?
The NHL's off-season rolls on, and every day brings with it more hockey talk. And in this ongoing series, we here at the Sabres site are focusing on the Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 regular-season schedule -- and specifically, Sabres opponents who could get in the way of Buffalo's Stanley Cup playoff aspirations. We started this series looking at the Sabres' Atlantic Division rivals, followed by the Metropolitan Division's teams. In recent days, we've been breaking down Buffalo's Central Division rivals. And today, we're focused on the Utah Mammoth. NEW MAMMOTH PLAYERS: J.J. Peterka, LW; Brandon Tanev, LW; Nate Schmidt, D; Vitek Vanecek, G 2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-2-0, Utah 2-0-0 2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: November 4 at Buffalo; November 12 at Utah CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? For a few reasons, the Sabres/Mammoth rivalry has the potential for some good times, as both teams are connected to each other for different reasons. For starters, Utah's logo is rather similar to one of Buffalo's old logos. More importantly, one of the biggest trades of the summer saw Utah acquire Peterka from Buffalo -- and Peterka is just what the Mammoth need to get to that next competitive level. If that trade had been all of what Utah GM Bill Armstrong did this summer, you'd still say the Mammoth had a solid off-season. But he also signed former Winnipeg Jets winger Tanev to improve his team's fourth line, and he signed Stanley Cup-winner Schmidt away from the Florida Panthers to bolster Utah's third defense pairing. (Armstrong also signed veteran goalie Vanecek, who will begin the year as Utah's third goalie. If he's needed, something has gone horribly awry for the Mammoth.) Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Are Boosted Blues Bound To Beat Buffalo? The Buffalo Sabres are facing enormous pressure to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought next season, and it's not hyperbole to say that the Sabres can't afford so much as a single off-night if they're going to be a playoff team. Every game really counts, and Buffalo needs to beat many above-average squads if they're going to earn a playoff berth in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division. All-in-all, the Mammoth have to be considered a better team than they were last season. And that's bad news if Buffalo doesn't have its ducks in a row when the two teams square off against each other twice in little more than a single week in early November. Indeed, if Utah comes out of the gate and stuns the Sabres in their first game November 4 in Buffalo, the Sabres will have only have eight days to figure out how to fight back for Round 2, as the Mammoth get a home game against Buffalo to finish up the series. That's somewhat of a shame, as it would've been fun to have at least one game between them near the end of the season, when it's likely that both Utah and the Sabres will be fighting for a wild card berth in their respective conferences. Still, it's going to be intriguing to see how that first game plays out. Last season, Utah won both games handily against the Sabres, beating Buffalo by a 5-2 score in both games. And the second game in the series came March 20, when both teams should've been in hot pursuit of a playoff spot. Instead, the Sabres were well out of playoff contention by then, and Utah wound up missing a playoff berth by eight standings points. So it was more misery for franchises accustomed to it. Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Buffalo Sweep Series Vs. Sub-Par Nashville Predators Next Season? The NHL's 2025-26 schedule has been out for a while now, and Buffalo Sabres site has been analyzing every team the Sabres will take on next season. We've worked our way through the Eastern Conference teams, and we're currently focusing on the Central Division teams. And in today's file, we're turning our attention to the Nashville Predators. It hasn't been easy for either of these teams to put memorable seasons together, and that's another reason why we see a link between the Mammoth and Sabres. They've languished and labored time and again, but as is custom at this time of year, hope springs eternal, and who knows -- there might be a world in which both Buffalo and Utah are both playing playoff games in the same season. The Sabres can't afford to lose both games to the Mammoth this year. A split would be acceptable, and anything more than that would be a positive. But if Buffalo plays with an urgency to their game, they have the manpower to answer back for last season's failures and shock the Mammoth into submission.
