Friedman reports Leafs to trade star forward in offseason blockbuster

After years of playoff failure, the Leafs fate seems official now. In today's edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Leafs will finally break up their ‘core four' forwards.

The Maple Leafs stars have largely been no-shows once again in the playoffs, and even more weakened by the absence of William Nylander early in the series. While about to lose their sixth home playoff game in a row, tension on the bench boiled over between the stars. Auston Matthews and William Nylander, both of whom have been the most impactful Leafs, appeared to be seriously criticizing Mitch Marner for his awful performances.




Matthews and Nylander are both signed to long term contract extensions, while Captain John Tavares and Mitch Marner's contracts both expire at the end of next season. Given their contract status and their apparent status on the team, it looks like Mitch Marner could be the one to find himself in heading out the door.

It's amazing it's taken the Leafs this long to figure out you can't build a proper team with four forwards taking up the entire salary, and all of them being overpaid by just a bit. This group of Maple Leafs stars only ended up accomplishing 1 series win in 8 years and will leave a legacy of being losers. Barring a miracle comeback, it truly is the end of an era for the Maple Leafs this season.