The rise and fall of the Core Four Era in Toronto Maple Leafs history

Together, we gather to remember one of the most disappointing eras in Toronto Maple Leafs history: the Core Four Era. 

The Core Four Era was born on July 1, 2018, when star free agent John Tavares left the New York Islanders and signed with his childhood team in Toronto. Toronto fans were astounded and elated. A genuine superstar wanted to sign here?

Almost immediately, however, as is the norm in Toronto, Tavares’ $11M cap hit raised questions about the likelihood of retaining the three young stars on the Leafs’ roster, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. 

Kyle Dubas, then the Leafs’ GM, uttered five words on the 31 Thoughts Podcast that have become emblematic of this era of Toronto hockey. When asked if the Leafs really could keep all four players, Dubas said, “We can, and we will.” He was right; they could, and they did. 

It didn’t work

Fast-forward seven years, and they no longer can, and they likely won’t. Additionally, they almost certainly shouldn’t and shouldn’t have. 

Mitch Marner and John Tavares are UFAs. Morgan Rielly should be traded.

Rielly is the longest tenured Leaf on the team currently, having been drafted by the team all the way back in 2012. He arrived just in time to witness the soul-crushing collapse against the Bruins in 2013, stuck through the god-awful 2014–16 years that led to the Leafs drafting Auston Matthews first overall, and has been a member of every single playoff chokejob since. Morgan Rielly has seen a lot of losing. It’s almost certainly time for a fresh start. 

John Tavares is the only member of the three who has expressed a true desire to return next year. Speaking to reporters at locker clean-out day, he said he’s “very optimistic that it can work out where I’m back.” Frankly, he’s the only one of the three I wouldn’t hate seeing on the ice in the blue and white next year, but only if he takes a serious hometown discount. 

And then there’s Mitch Marner. I’ve had Marner’s name and number on the back of my Leafs jersey since 2017. The kid who grew up in Markham was drafted by his favourite team and almost immediately became a superstar. Marner was supposed to thrive here, was supposed to ultimately end up with his name in the rafters and a statue on Legend’s Row.

Instead, what we got was a player whose team around him could not create worse PR, who was consistently hounded by the media and fans (sometimes justified, other times not), and who leaves behind a legacy of complete and utter failure. Marner’s main impact in what will almost certainly be his last year as a Leaf, aside from two measly goals in 13 playoff games, was blocking a trade that could have brought Mikko Rantanen to Toronto. Do I fault Marner for that? No, his wife was eight months pregnant, and he had the right as a player to control his destiny. But still, it’s a fitting end to Marner’s tenure. 

Failure from the top

The final domino to fall in the dissolution of the Core Four Era was Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, author of the fabled and failed “Shanaplan.” Eleven years ago, Shanahan joined an organization that had only seen the playoffs once in the previous decade. He led a scorched-earth rebuild campaign that resulted in the drafting of three of the main Core Four pieces and oversaw the signing of the fourth.

He repaired broken bridges with Leafs Alumni, worked to change the culture, and for a time seemed to have built a true Cup contender. But Shanahan was also stubborn and seemingly refused to believe that maybe putting all your faith in these players was unfounded. After successive playoff disappointments and missed expectations, GM Kyle Dubas finally seemed like he wanted to change things and was immediately fired. With that action, Brendan Shanahan cemented himself as the architect of this Leafs team’s failure. He built a team that is incapable of missing the playoffs and winning anything in the playoffs. 

Time for a fresh start

So, where do we go from here? This piece doesn’t focus on Auston Matthews, but he shoulders a significant share of blame for this team’s continued losses, although the people calling for him to be traded are lunatics. A middling free agency class means there really isn’t a good replacement for Marner, and we’re left hoping that Brad Treliving, with a little more agency, can retool for another run. You can guess where my expectations are about the success of that. 

The Core Four Era of the Toronto Maple Leafs ended with a whimper. Two consecutive home blowouts, with boos cascading down from the few fans who remained in Scotiabank Arena. Jerseys thrown on the ice because, to reuse a quote from Adam Wylde, “This team loses like losers.” 

Keith Pelley said on Friday, “We have to be on the pathway to win a Stanley Cup.” That pathway certainly feels a lot longer now.