The Toronto Maple Leafs roster is going to look a lot different next season and there are three players specifically who are most likely enterting their last month with the organization.
Whether they're pending UFA's, RFA's or have multiple years left on their contract, there are three notable players on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster who will no longer be with the team next year. GM Brad Treliving didn't make a monster trade at the NHL Trade Deadline, but he did enough to give this team a solid chance at winning in the playoffs.
They never added a legitimate scorer, but if Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander can't supply enough offense this playoffs, they're doomed anyway. The team's defense is not only better than it's been in decades, but they're all locked up past this year, which is great news for the future of this organization.
If I were to predict the future for this current Leafs team, I would obviously predict that they're going to lose in the First Round. They've only won one playoff round since 2004, so I'd be crazy to think that anything is going to change, which is why I think these three players will no longer be on the team next year.
No. 1: Mitch Marner
If Mitch Marner wanted to be apart of the Leafs long-term, he already would have signed by now. However, the two sides haven't been able to come to an agreement, and it almost meant to the end of Marner in Toronto at this year's NHL Trade Deadline.
The Leafs were ready to ship Marner to Carolina for Mikko Rantanen and part of me wishes it happened. It's not that I don't appreciate Marner's incredible ability to supply offense and to play solid defensive hockey, but the uncertain kills me. If the Leafs traded for Rantanen and locked him up for eight years, there would be much more certainty and it would have been a great hockey trade for both organizations, but unfortunately we're stuck with another playoff-run with Marner.
I think that the only way that Marner re-signs in Toronto is if they make it to the Stanley Cup Finals and I unfortunately don't think that's going to happen. Obviously I would want nothing more than to see that, but it once again feels like a year of playoff disapointment with Marner at the forefront of it.
No. 2: John Tavares
Similarly to Marner, John Tavares has been an amazing member of the Leafs and is arguably a top-10 player in franchise history. Year-after-year, he delivers in the regular season and was a great captain for five years.
However, now that he's 34-years-old, I think Tavares and Toronto are going to part ways, unless a significant pay-decline is in store. If the Leafs were to sign Tavares to a three-year deal worth $5-6M AAV, then I think they'll find a solution, but I don't see a world where Tavares makes less than the Steven Stamkos deal ($8M x 4 years).
I know that Stamkos was more decorated, but both of them are similar players at this point of their career, and you could argue that Tavares is actually better. Despite being in the last year of a seven-year contract, Tavares is still scoring at a 40-goal clip and is performing at an unbelievable level as a 2C.
Although Tavares is having an amazing season this year, you have to look at the future of this contract and I think the Leafs will ultimately decide to walk away, because it's most likely not sustainable for the next few years.
Simialrly with Marner, the only way the band stays together is if they go far in the playoffs, but I unfortunately don't think that's the case and we're no longer going to see Tavares or Marner in a Leafs uniform next year.
No. 3: Morgan Rielly
Despite having three years left on his deal, I think there's a world where Morgan Rielly is no longer a member of the Leafs next year, and here's why. The Leafs defense is set up nicely and Rielly's $7.5M contract could be utilized a lot better.
There will be multiple teams lining up for Rielly's services and by trading him, it would free up a ton of cash to find a real top-pairing defenseman, legitimizing the team's core. Brandon Carlo, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe make up a nice top-four, but the Leafs could use a younger and more higher-end player at the top of their blue-line.
Rielly has a no-movement clause, but if the Leafs lose early in the playoffs he may also want a fresh start.
I know that the Rielly trade seems far-fetched but if the Leafs fail to advance in the playoffs, big changes are going to happen. And in my opinion, there's no better way to make a splash to the organization then by trading your longest-serving player and shacking up the defensive-core.