3 Iron-Clad Toronto Maple Leafs Summer Guarantees

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a ridiculous three weeks.

First, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers despite being the better team in four out of five games.

Second, they inexplicably fired their young GM after letting him learn on the job for five years. Now that he’s easily the best. young executive in the NHL, he can take his talents to a different team at the Leafs expense.

Third, they hired a GM they can’t use until after the draft, and barely interviewed anyone else for the position.  Considering that firing Dubas was basically a spur-of-the-moment decision, it seems absolutely nuts that they hired the first guy they thought of.

But none of that really matters, because the new GM has about the easiest job since monster Stan Bowman took over for Dale Talon.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a stacked team with a ton of stars, a great cap situation and a whole bunch of prospects on the verge of making the big leagues.

While the media makes a big deal about nonsensical garbage like trading Matthews and Marner, there really isn’t a lot going on.

Here are 3 guarantees you can take to the bank for the upcoming summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs Summer Guarantees

Guarantee the First:

Auston Matthews will re-sign.   The first, last, and only priority for Brad Treliving right now is to get Matthews’ signature on a new deal.  The new deal will make Matthews the highest paid player in the league and will likely only be for five years, since Matthews will then have the option to sign a mega deal for the rest of his thirties.

Guarantee the Second:

MItch Marner won’t be traded.  How do I know?  Brad Treliving seems reasonably intelligent and trading Maner would be idiotic.  It’s just logic.  Not happening.

Guarantee the Third:

William Nylander is getting traded. It’s unfortunate, because he’s perhaps my favorite player, and for years the media has unfairly targeted him even though he’s a bonafide superstar on one of the best contracts in the NHL.

This year he scored 40 goals, and turned 27.  His next contract will take him to age 35 and include several declining years.  Nylander is a great player, but whenever you can, you should avoid paying players into their 30s.

A team will pay top dollar for William Nylander, and the Leafs can get a high-end defenseman for him.  The trade alleviates the need for change, and will help the team reset.  I personally would not trade Nylander, but he’s gonzo.

Those are your three guarantees.