Year after year, Brendan Shanahan sat at the Leafs press conference at the end of the year and re-iterated his belief in the core four winning a Stanley Cup. Today, he couldn't bring himself to say it again.
At the end of today's press conference, Shanahan was asked directly if he thinks that the Maple Leafs core four can win a Cup, and instead he talked about the need for significant changes.
Shanahan gave a word salad of an answer, repeatedly referencing the Leafs developing a pattern of playoff failure. Obviously they wouldn't address trading a star player like Mitch Marner outright, but when asked about waiving no move clauses, Shanahan said everything is on the table.
Most Matthews and Nylander signed long term, Mitch Marner, Johnny Tavares, and Morgan Rielly will all be on the table. The Maple Leafs will be an extremely big player in the offseason this year, both in free agency and trade.