Toronto Maple Leafs stars days in Toronto reportedly over according to former NHL player

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Sam Walker
January 11, 2024 (3:36 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs recently locked in William Nylander with a hefty extension, but this move raises concerns as almost half of the team's salary cap is now allocated to just four players.

This leaves many wondering about the future of one key member of the "Core 4" - Mitch Marner.

Former Maple Leafs left wing turned podcaster, Jay Rosehill, reports that Marner's days in Toronto are done.

Expressing his thoughts on a podcast, Rosehill contemplates the team's dilemma, especially with Marner's no-trade clause in effect.

"While I want to see Willy signed and not let go, every time I consider that contract, I ponder Marner and the challenges of managing the Core 4. Marner's no-trade clause has kicked in, and it leaves us wondering what to do,"

Rosehill commented.

Assessing the team's performance this year, Rosehill questions their ability to go the distance and secure the Stanley Cup.

He hints at the need for significant changes at the trade deadline, emphasizing that having too much invested in the Core 4 might not be a winning formula in the playoffs.

"I don't think having that many eggs in the basket of the Core 4 is gonna work. It's not gonna work in the playoffs. You can have some pretty awesome regular seasons... but, in my mind, we need to unload Marner and get as much as we possibly can for him,"

Rosehill added.

In Rosehill's perspective, Marner appears to be the odd-man-out in the Leafs' cap crunch, primarily due to doubts about the team's playoff success with him.

"He's just my pick for that, and he's the only guy - I mean, Marner, Nylander, or Matthews, no one is going to take that Tavares contract - so for me, it's Marner," he stated. "You can't walk away from Matthews, you don't walk away from Willy, and that leaves the odd man out as Marner. My opinion is that you're not going to win in the playoffs with him. He doesn't have the gumption, he doesn't have the tenacity, he won't go to war with you for two straight months."