Buyout coming to Toronto, and it’s not who you think it is!

When the Maple Leafs cleaned out their dressing room and had their exit interviews on Tuesday, the attention was already on changes that need to be made next season to make sure Toronto can finally get past the Round 2 of the postseason.
There is a feeling pending free agent forward Mitch Marner will not re-sign and there is still work to be done for veteran John Tavares to stay put. William Nylander and Auston Matthews are more than likely the leaders heading into 2025-26, though insider Frank Seravalli recently suggested that the Maple Leafs could consider hearing out trade offers for their captain.

However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes the Leafs and their management will seriously explore the contract buyout option. And while many fans have been suggesting the idea of buying out the remainder of defenseman Morgan Rielly’s deal, Friedman explained the target could be on another player in the dressing room. This is what he reported on Wednesday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

“I think there could be some buyouts or a buyout of a depth forward,” Friedman before explaining how Toronto could also lose Lane Lambert as an assistant coach and how changes are most likely coming to management as well.*

* as we saw on Thursday when it was confirmed that Brendan Shanahan will not return as team president.

When mentioning the possibility of a buyout in Toronto, fans have been thinking about Rielly seeing that his contract will only age poorly. He’s in the third year of an eight-year, $60 million contract signed in October 2021, carrying a $7.5 million cap hit. The deal includes a full no-movement clause through 2027-28, giving him complete control over his future. Starting in 2028-29, that protection shifts to a modified no-trade clause with a 10-team list. It would be too much money wasted for the Leafs.

But who is that depth forward Friedman is talking about? Who do you want it to be?