Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said he won't "take anything off the table" when it comes to making roster decisions this summer to further his team's goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Dubas made the comments Monday when asked if he would consider trading one of his Core Four forwards — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander or John Tavares — this summer after another disappointing playoff elimination.
Dubas said if he were to entertain a trade of that magnitude he and his management team would need to do a thorough evaluation before pulling the trigger. He compared the situation to one the Florida Panthers — the team that eliminated the Leafs — went through last summer when they acquired Matthew Tkachuk in a trade involving franchise cornerstone Jonathan Huberdeau.
"If we make any trade we’ll make sure it’s thoroughly done," Dubas said. "I think the team that we just played serves as a good template. It wouldn’t be hastily done."
While Dubas intends to take his time deciding on how to shape his roster, the reality is time isn't on his side.
Matthews, Marner and Nylander all have some form of no-trade clauses that begin on July 1, meaning if a deal isn't made before then the player would have to be involved in selecting their destination.
Matthews and Nylander each can become unrestricted free agents after next season, while Marner and Tavares will be unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2025. For their part, all four players said they hope the group can stay together when they spoke to the media earlier Monday.
But before any of those decisions can be made, Dubas himself needs a new contract. The general manager's deal expires on June 30 and earlier in the press conference he opened up about how taxing of a year it has been on his family.
"It requires me to have a full family discussion… what this year took on them," Dubas said about his own future. "It’ll either be here or it’ll be taking time to recalibrate."
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