What's At Stake For The Maple Leafs' Core Four

Toronto Maple Leafs stars William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews have played together since the 2016-17 NHL season. Back then, the future seemed so bright, as Nylander, the oldest of the three, was a fresh-faced 20-year-old when all three played in the same game for the first time.

As the young Buds were getting their first couple of seasons in the NHL under their belts while also getting some playoff experience in their rookie and sophomore campaigns, the Leafs signed John Tavares in the summer of 2018, one of the most sought-after UFAs in recent memory, to a seven-year deal worth $77 million. Tavares was coming off an 84-point season with the New York Islanders, which was the second-best point total of his career at the time. With 24 playoff games in his nine seasons on Long Island, Tavares saw Toronto's young talent like everybody else.

From the outside looking in, the Leafs were primed to have multiple runs at the Stanley Cup. You had Nylander, with 22 goals and 61 points in his first full NHL season, Marner, with 19 goals and 61 points in his rookie year, and, Matthews, who took home the Calder Trophy with 40 goals and 69 points as an NHL freshman. At the end of the 2016-17 season, the Leafs had three of the top four highest-scoring rookies in the league.

Fast-forward to today, and Toronto’s ‘Core Four’ have won just one playoff series in their six years together, which came against the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2022-23. If unseen progress in the post-season doesn't happen this year, there are bound to be big changes in Toronto again, so let's take a look at what's at stake for the ‘Core Four' if they fall short yet again:

William Nylander, RW

The longest-serving Leaf of the ‘Core Four,’ and it looks like even if the Leafs get bounced in the first round this year, he's not going anywhere. Toronto GM Brad Treliving ensured that Nylander’s scorching start to last season didn't go unnoticed in a contract year and inked him to an eight-year deal at $11.5 million per season. It's also worth mentioning that Nylander has shown up in moments when the Leafs need him, something the other players on this list don't have going for them.

Auston Matthews, C

The Leafs’ most untouchable player is, without a doubt, Matthews, who has three Rocket Richard Trophies and one Hart Trophy in his eight seasons and got paid like it this summer with a four-year deal worth $13.25 million per season, the richest per-season deal in the league (Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon has the highest deal overall).

Although questions have surrounded Matthews’ performances in the playoffs, the new captain of the Leafs isn't going anywhere – but stay tuned to when his deal is up in 2028, especially if his name isn't on the Cup by then.

Mitch Marner, RW

For a player who leads the ‘Core Four’ in playoff production with 50 points in 57 post-season games, Marner has been the whipping boy in Toronto, no doubt. Fans and media have been pointing their fingers long and hard at Marner for not showing up when the team needs him.

During last season's first-round playoff battle with the Boston Bruins, Marner needed to step up for the ‘Core Four’ as Nylander was out with migraines, something that was revealed after the series, and Matthews sat out two games due to a stomach flu that he also played through. Unfortunately, Marner couldn't produce, as he managed just three points in the seven-game series and was often invisible on the ice. As Marner heads into this off-season as a pending UFA looking to get paid in the realm of Nylander money, it's possible that he won't be wearing blue and white next season if he doesn't produce in the playoffs.

John Tavares, C

Joining the Leafs for the 2018-19 season as a 27-year-old in the prime of his career, Tavares was considered the savior for this team, a pro's pro who could help guide the young Buds. Like Marner, Tavares has been slowly run out of Toronto, as he is known to be invisible out there at times, such as in the 2019-20 playoffs, when he produced only three points, and last year’s post-season, where he put up only two points. Even in his prime, Tavares was considered a below-average skater.

Now, at 34, Tavares is slowing down, and he’s been playing the wing at times, even as a career center. With his $11 million per season deal up this summer, he will most certainly have to take a massive pay cut to stay in Toronto or take his talents to another contender. Tavares still serves a valuable role as a scorer, which teams always try to snag as a deadline piece for the post-season, but that role has certainly diminished over the years.

While many fans were convinced that change would happen in Leafland last summer, it looks more apparent that if they get eliminated early in the playoffs again this season, Tavares and Marner will become UFAs and leave Toronto in the off-season. So, it is safe to say the ‘Core Four’ could become a two-man show come next season if things don't go to plan.

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