Which Maple Leafs players are untouchable moving forward?

Despite the Maple Leafs recent fall in the standings, the chance that everyone on the Maple Leafs will become available is not true. Even though they are transitioning to becoming sellers and plan on beginning a retool, there will still be a handful of players who will remain with the Maple Leafs heading into next season. These players will be untouchable for several reasons, either because of their value, contracts, or role within the team.

The Maple Leafs building blocks

Auston Matthews is the first obvious choice, as a player who will remain untouchable. Just over this past week, the Maple Leafs and Matthews have fully committed to each other, and will not come up in trade talks moving forward. Matthews has become the face of the franchise since the beginning of his career. He is the leader of the team and has been one of the best players this franchise has ever seen. The Scottsdale native is signed with the Maple Leafs through 2028 and remains one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. There is no scenario before the 2028 season where the Maple Leafs consider moving on from their captain. Everything that happens is still built around Auston Matthews.

William Nylander is another player who will not be available come the trade deadline. He firmly remains with Auston Matthews as one of the building blocks of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nylander has become the driving force of the offence this season and has consistently elevated his game in high-pressure moments. With Nylander's long-term deal in place until 2031-32, it would be highly unlikely the Maple Leafs would entertain any movement with the Swedish forward. Nylander will play a big role in the Leafs lineup, and is a player they say is part of the solution rather than the problem. Matthews and Nylander will be untouchable players for a long time, even past this campaign if things don't go the right way.

The depth pieces that they will build around

Matthew Knies is another player the Leafs will not want to move on from. Reportedly, last season, the Maple Leafs almost traded him in exchange for Mikko Rantanen, but Brad Treliving was not comfortable making the move. Knies, this past summer, signed a seven-year extension, furthering their commitment long-term. Knies has gotten better each season he has been in the NHL. While his numbers have improved this season, he has been dealing with a lingering lower-body injury that has limited him to some extent this season. Knies is one of the few players who are able to play both a fast, strong, physical type of game, while having a scoring touch. At his age and value to the Maple Leafs, he represents the type of player they want to build around, rather than gaining assets for his services.

Joseph Woll has emerged as the starting netminder in Toronto. Woll has developed with the Maple Leafs into a star goaltender. Despite injuries and inconsistency around him, the Leafs still view Woll as a long-term solution in net. Woll is on a cheap contract for the next two seasons following this one, leaving him as the clear option in net moving forward. If Stolarz continues his recent play, he can very well be on the way out of Toronto, moving towards the deadline. Woll fills a crucial gap in the Maple Leafs lineup and will do that for many years to come.

Beyond this list of names, the Maple Leafs will be answering phone calls about everyone, moving more towards the future. Becoming a seller is the best thing for the Maple Leafs right now, and they will need to gain draft capital and good young assets moving forward. The Leafs may not want to call it a full rebuild, but the reality is clear: only a small core is truly safe.