Present
With the Leafs losing their third Game 7 against the Boston Bruins the season before, which included a mysterious three-game absence from Nylander, who revealed after the series loss that he had been dealing with migraines, a series that also saw Matthews deal with a stomach bug that kept him out of the Leafs lineup for two games. These unfortunate events were one of the many examples of the past that were used as excuses by management to run the same group back.
This series also featured an outburst from Marner and Matthews on the Leafs bench, who were reacting to Nylander's critical comments.
With that loss, the Core Four era seemed to be entering its final season.
With Marner and Tavares still not signed, the team felt different heading into a season with a freshly hired head coach, Craig Berube, who instilled a different playstyle that saw the team win games they never had before with an emphasis on north-south hockey, one that many believed would carry them deep into the playoffs.
With an aging Tavares on the decline, his future with the Leafs wasn't as big a focus for the team. The focus was on Marner, who was asked during every scrum of the season where he saw himself playing next season. Throughout the regular season, he would continuously reply with the stereotypical hockey player answer of "just focusing on hockey right now," the situation wasn't progressing other than that the common belief was that Treliving and management were trying to meet his desired AAV of $13 million until the trade deadline hit where Treliving did the unthinkable.
After trying to extend Marner since the start of the season, Treliving grew desperate and tried to get value while he could. He asked Marner to waive his no-movement clause on deadline day in an attempt to trade him to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen. The trade didn't happen because Marner refused to waive his no-trade clause. Rantanen was traded and later signed an eight-year extension with the Dallas Stars.
With Treliving trying to trade Marner, it left many with a clearer image of what the future held for Marner in Toronto. It signaled that Treliving wasn't confident in being able to sign the star winger, making this year's playoffs potentially the core four's last.
With Treliving surrounding this core with the best defense/goaltending they've ever had, a team that won the Atlantic Division title for the first time in 25 years, the Leafs matched up against the East's first wildcard team in the provincial rival Ottawa Senators, whom they beat in six games for their second series win as a core that gave them a rematch from the 2023 playoffs with the defending Stanely Cup Champion Florida Panthers.
Although the core did beat the up-and-coming Senators in round one, they still faced the same problem: producing in the playoffs, something that would only be more challenging against the defending cup champs.
The Leafs would ultimately lose in the most "Leafy" way by winning a must-win Game 6 to only crush every fan's heart in what is probably their most embarrassing game they've had as a core in a 6-1 Game 7 loss at home.
With quotes such as "I've always loved my time here" and "I've been so grateful" coming from Marner's end-of-season media availability, Marner's last game as a Maple Leaf may be more behind him than ever, meaning Game 7's 6-1 loss to the Panthers could be the last vision of the Core Four together.