Maple Leafs rumored to be considering major trade involving Core 4 member

With the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs having come to an end at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers, a major change was already made in the front office as general manager Kyle Dubas was terminated by team president Brendan Shanahan. 

The new man in charge is Brad Treliving, and there have been plenty of fans are wondering about the futures of the "Core 4" with the Leafs, all of whom were close to Dubas. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander have all reiterated their dedication to Toronto and their desire to stay members of the Maple Leafs organization for the long haul. 

And while the comments from Treliving in his introductory press conference made it sound as though all four members of the so-called "Core 4" would be back next season, one former Toronto radio personality believes that a massive deal is on the horizon.

According to Howard Berger, the Maple Leafs are said to be "working diligently" on a franchise-altering deal that would include a member of the Core 4. 

He writes: 

"Told the #Leafs are “working diligently” on a pre-draft trade. Involving a member of the Core-4, I’m not sure. Perhaps Nylander, which is risky. Matthews is the only guy I’d trade"

Nylander has one more season remaining on his contract that carries an annual average value of $6,962,366. In 521 career NHL games, all with the Leafs, he's scored 177 goals (including a career high 40 this season) and 253 assists for 430 career points.

Meanwhile, Matthews can become perhaps the most coveted free agent forward in recent NHL history next summer, as he's set to enter the final year of the five year contract he signed in February of 2019. His next goal will be the 300th of his career; he's also added 243 assists in 481 career NHL games.