SalarySwishSalarySwish

Keeping the Core 4

Created by: NickC1988
Team: 2023-24 Toronto Maple Leafs
Initial Creation Date: May 18, 2023
Published: May 19, 2023
Salary Cap Mode: Basic
Legend
Left Handed
Original Team
Waivers Exempt
Right Handed
Position
Trade Clause
Max Perf. Bonus
Expiry Status
Term Remaining
Logo of the Edmonton Oilers
Waivers ExemptMcDavid, Connor
$12,500,000 (Performance Bonus$250,000)
C
NMC
UFA - 5
Description
It's not happening as quick as you like, but you can't constantly change a roster over and over and expect different results in the playoffs. Players need time to mature, mesh, and grow from prior experiences. Ovechkin won a cup after 13 years in the league. McDavid and Draisaitl are still chasing it, it's not always quick like Chicago and Pittsburgh.

You won't get fair value for any of the core 4 in a trade, Matthews wants to stay, Nylander wants to stay. A lot of teams didn't make it as far as they would've liked (COL, EDM, NYR) yet they won't be making the extreme moves everyone wants the Leafs to make.

Whether you blame Dubas or not, he is working a job a lot of users on this site DREAM to obtain and yet, he's debating stepping away because he's stressed out and mentally drained. You can't say he doesn't care or doesn't want to win. That guy is an elite GM in this league.

The players underperformed, absolutely, but you won't find any better options via trade, I can promise you that.

You know what the beauty of this situation is? Even if this team craps the bed this season, however unlikely that is, Nylander, Brodie, Matthews, and Lafferty are all pending UFAs and you could recoup ALL the draft picks you traded away these past 2-3 years in one deadline. Yes, that means a "rebuild" or "retool" whatever you want to call it. But at least you're getting a greater return that will help the team long term.
Free Agent Signings
RFAYEARSCAP HIT
1$4,000,000
1$825,000
1$825,000
UFAYEARSCAP HIT
2$1,750,000
1$2,000,000
1$2,750,000
2$1,500,000
Trades
1.
TOR
  1. 2023 3rd round pick (CHI)
CHI
  1. Murray, Matt
  2. Muzzin, Jake
  3. 2023 1st round pick (BOS)
2.
TOR
  1. Ehlers, Nikolaj
WPG
  1. Hirvonen, Roni
  2. Niemelä, Topi
  3. 2024 1st round pick (TOR)
DraftRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7
2023
Logo of the CHI
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
2024
Logo of the NYI
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the CHI
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the OTT
2025
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the CHI
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
ROSTER SIZESALARY CAPCAP HITOVERAGES TooltipBONUSESCAP SPACE
22$83,500,000$82,897,283$0$0$602,717
Left WingCentreRight Wing
Logo of the Winnipeg Jets
Ehlers, Nikolaj
$6,000,000$6,000,000
RW, LW
M-NTC
UFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews, Auston
$11,640,250$11,640,250
C
NMC
UFA - 1
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Marner, Mitchell
$10,903,000$10,903,000
RW
NMC
UFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Waivers ExemptKnies, Matthew
$925,000$925,000
LW, RW
RFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Tavares, John
$11,000,000$11,000,000
C, LW
NMC
UFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Nylander, William
$6,962,366$6,962,366
RW
NMC
UFA - 1
van Riemsdyk, James
$2,000,000$2,000,000
LW, RW
UFA - 1
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Holmberg, Pontus
$825,000$825,000
C, LW
RFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Lafferty, Sam
$1,150,000$1,150,000
RW, C, LW
UFA - 1
Wood, Miles
$2,750,000$2,750,000
LW
UFA - 6
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Kämpf, David
$1,500,000$1,500,000
C
UFA - 4
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Järnkrok, Calle
$2,100,000$2,100,000
RW, C, LW
M-NTC
UFA - 3
Left DefenseRight DefenseGoaltender
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Rielly, Morgan
$7,500,000$7,500,000
LD
NMC
UFA - 7
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Schenn, Luke
$1,750,000$1,750,000
RD
UFA - 3
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Samsonov, Ilya
$4,000,000$4,000,000
G
UFA - 1
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
McCabe, Jake
$2,000,000$2,000,000
LD/RD
M-NTC
UFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Liljegren, Timothy
$1,400,000$1,400,000
RD
RFA - 1
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Woll, Joseph
$766,667$766,667
G
RFA - 2
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Brodie, TJ
$5,000,000$5,000,000
LD/RD
M-NTC
UFA - 1
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Timmins, Conor
$1,100,000$1,100,000
RD
RFA - 2
ScratchesInjured Reserve (IR)Long Term IR (LTIR)
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Giordano, Mark
$800,000$800,000
LD
UFA - 1
Logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Waivers ExemptAbruzzese, Nick
$825,000$825,000
LW, C
RFA - 2

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Top Comments

May 19, 2023 at 12:15 a.m.
#1
Rangsey
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jul. 2016
Posts: 4,182
Likes: 2,928
Thing is..they're going to make the playoffs, so the recouping assets isn't a factor.
Thing about all the teams you mentioned is that they didn't have half the salary cap locked up in 4 players. The $$ were more spread throughout the lineup. How long do you roll out the same lineup and see them go out the same way? You've got enough proof that the concept doesn't work.
Hammerwise liked this.
May 19, 2023 at 12:24 a.m.
#2
NickC1988
Chicago
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Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 7,002
Likes: 2,852
Quoting: Rangsey
Thing is..they're going to make the playoffs, so the recouping assets isn't a factor.
Thing about all the teams you mentioned is that they didn't have half the salary cap locked up in 4 players. The $$ were more spread throughout the lineup. How long do you roll out the same lineup and see them go out the same way? You've got enough proof that the concept doesn't work.


Edmonton has $36M in Nurse, McDavid, Ekholm and Draisaitl. COL is about to have $40M in Nichushkin, Rantanen, Mackinnon and Makar. NYR have $38M in Trouba, Zibanejad, Panarin, and Fox.

If the Leafs decide to move somebody in the core 4, they'll be significantly worse next season. At that point you might as well rebuild around Knies/Liljegren/Woll because you'll just be wasting the prime years of whoever isn't traded.
May 19, 2023 at 12:32 a.m.
#3
Rangsey
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Joined: Jul. 2016
Posts: 4,182
Likes: 2,928
Quoting: NickC1988
Edmonton has $36M in Nurse, McDavid, Ekholm and Draisaitl. COL is about to have $40M in Nichushkin, Rantanen, Mackinnon and Makar. NYR have $38M in Trouba, Zibanejad, Panarin, and Fox.

If the Leafs decide to move somebody in the core 4, they'll be significantly worse next season. At that point you might as well rebuild around Knies/Liljegren/Woll because you'll just be wasting the prime years of whoever isn't traded.


Edmonton hasn't won anything. Neither have New York.

Colorado won before the MacKinnon extension. Toronto have just been failing longer with the same players. Surely you have yo switch it up. Theyve rolled over with no fight year after year. Regardless who the supporting cast is.
You're waisting their primes now.
Brolekb2b and Hammerwise liked this.
May 19, 2023 at 1:11 a.m.
#4
GladeBang12
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Joined: Sep. 2022
Posts: 633
Likes: 125
Quoting: Rangsey
Edmonton hasn't won anything. Neither have New York.

Colorado won before the MacKinnon extension. Toronto have just been failing longer with the same players. Surely you have yo switch it up. Theyve rolled over with no fight year after year. Regardless who the supporting cast is.
You're waisting their primes now.


They still have lots of years though. If your argument is the 40M to 4 fwds issue, then just wait a couple years for Tavares to be gone. Willy, Mitch, and Auston will still have many good years. Maybe not as many as we wanted, but still a good and long chance to win a cup.
GMBL liked this.
May 19, 2023 at 1:14 a.m.
#5
GladeBang12
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Joined: Sep. 2022
Posts: 633
Likes: 125
Funny enough, I think the worst thing that happened to our team was being too good too early. Had we not made the playoffs for the first 2 years of the Matthews era, the expectations of the team to win every year (even though the kids weren’t ready until last year) and “trade the core” narrative wouldn’t exist. We’d probably have a shot at a true #1 d man, too.
GMBL liked this.
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