Brendan Shanahan wants to keep the Core Four in Toronto

Ah, the Maple Leafs… We thought they were done with controversy and disappointment after eliminating the Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.

In the second round, however, they were defeated by the Panthers, who are currently on fire.

Now that Toronto’s season is over, it’s time for an interesting off-season. Kyle Dubas is no longer the GM there, Auston Matthews is the talk of the town and the future of the Core Four is increasingly uncertain.

Yet President Brendan Shanahan has made it clear: he wants to keep his four best players in Toronto.

We know that Matthews and William Nylander will be free agents at the end of next season, and that Marner and Tavares will be free agents in two years. Will the next GM be able to keep all four? Would he have any say in the matter?

If Shanahan wants to keep his Core Four, maybe the new GM won’t have a say and it will be in the hiring criteria… According to Pierre LeBrun, former Flames GM Brad Treliving would be an ideal candidate.

After all, he spent nine years as GM with Calgary and knows all about Canadian pressure. LeBrun also wonders if Brandon Pridham, assistant GM of the Leafs, could become the next boss. The guy knows the job, but in Shanahan’s eyes, he may not be ready yet.

One thing’s for sure: the next GM will have his work cut out for him, and some big decisions to make.

Don Cherry (the team’s next head coach?) is also of the opinion that the team should keep its four players. After all, this is a competitive league and you shouldn’t give up on 26-year-old players.

Cherry has exactly the same mentality as the president, then. He won’t be hired, though…

Gossip

– He impressed.

– A name to watch.

– Two possible sweeps in the Association Finals.

– Really?

– Obviously.