Matthews and Nylander sound off on a potential Marner trade

Mitch Marner has been getting slammed left and right for his performance in Round 1 against Boston. Two of his teammates, Auston Matthews and William Nylander, are having none of that negativity and are stepping up to defend him.

The trio, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, have been in the trenches together for 8 seasons. They've piled up some great numbers over the years, but when it comes to playoff success, they've only won a single playoff series, and it took last season to did it.

Now, the Maple Leafs have been sticking by their core players through thick and thin, even though they've been hit with first-round exits and gut-wrenching Game 7 losses year after year. Yet there's only so much you can do with the supporting cast around your superstars before you start thinking about change.

Take Colorado, for instance. They made some big moves, parting ways with key players like Ryan O'Reilly, Paul Stastny, and Matt Duchene, and decided to build around Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. And look where they are now—Stanley Cup champs once and contenders ever since.


As for Marner, he has the skills, but not the grit, hence the consideration to move him. Moving captain John Tavares would be a tough sell with that $11 million cap hit.

Matthews and Nylander gave their feelings to the media about Marner's possible departure. Matthews even said



Nylander added:


These two are the future of the Maple Leafs, and they understand the fact that hockey's a business. Changes need to happen in Toronto. The core's had its chances, and it's time to shake things up.