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NHL Insider Addresses Possible Breakup of Maple Leafs' Core Four

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 8:07 AM ET

As the Toronto Maple Leafs head into another offseason marked by disappointment, the spotlight remains fixed on their long-standing Core Four and what might happen next.

Following a second-round collapse against the Florida Panthers, speculation has grown about whether general manager Brad Treliving will break up the group that has consistently fallen short in the postseason, even more after he claimed the "DNA has to change" during his final media availability.

Despite those remarks and steady calls for major change, analysts Bryan Hayes and Darren Dreger are not convinced that trades involving Auston Matthews or William Nylander are on the table.

Speaking on TSN's "OverDrive" on Monday, Hayes pushed back against the idea that Toronto could shop any of the big names outside of Mitch Marner in an offseason trade.

"They’re not trading Matthews or Nylander," Hayes said. "I just can’t see it, man.

"Matthews, they’re not moving off. Nylander is a year into an eight-year (contract with a) full no-move (clause). Willy’s not going anywhere. I just don’t think Willy would waive."

Hayes pointed to the Maple Leafs' past behavior—with all of Marner, Nylander, and Matthews having signed at least one contract extension in Toronto—as further evidence that the club won’t pressure their top stars to move.

"They’ve never shown at any point a scenario where they felt like they would make things uncomfortable or they would try to do that," Hayes said.

Shanahan Out ft. Darren Dreger | Leafs Morning Take https://t.co/lnxn6OSRsd
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Dreger, speaking on "Leafs Morning Take" on May 23, precisely pointed toward that trend while echoing Hayes' sentiment.

The insider, however, dismissed the idea of Matthews being part of any bold shift unless he requests a trade.

"Come on, this guy is an absolute stud; he’s a superstar," Dreger said. "For it to happen with Matthews at any point in the foreseeable future, that would be on him."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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