Leafs GM Kyle Dubas confirms that he will not trade Matthews or Marner

For better or worse, Leafs fans are stuck with their two young stars.

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HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas confirms that he will not trade Matthews or Marner
Zuma Press

The Toronto Maple Leafs' players met with the media this morning (via Zoom) to break down their season, review what went wrong and talk about the future. Then later in the afternoon, the Leafs' management group including President Brendan Shanahan and General Manager Kyle Dubas met with the media to talk about what sort of changes will happen this offseason as a result of the Leafs' shortcomings and... well it's safe to say that changes are coming.

When asked if there will be changes, Shanahan didn't mince words:

"There will be changes. There's a killer instinct that's missing that we need to address."

Okay, but what kind of changes? This isn't a team that needs a couple more complementary players. If the Leafs truly want to add some killer instinct, they'll have to look closely at their core players, rather than just their depth, complementary players. I'm talking superstars like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. There's no denying the fact that they're talented players with immense skill... but do they have that killer instinct that Shanahan is talking about? I'm not so sure.

If you're a Leafs fan and you're holding out hope though that one of Matthews, Marner or Nylander is traded for some grit and toughness this offseason, don't hold your breath. Dubas confirmed this afternoon that he will NOT be looking to move Matthews or Marner this offseason.


Honestly, that's a bit surprising... but really what is Dubas going to say? If he has plans to trade any of the above mentioned players, he likely wouldn't make it public knowledge. I would be surprised if at least Marner isn't dangled in trade talks this offseason as it looks like he and his hometown team are headed for a nasty split. 

If there's one player on the Leafs' roster that personifies that absence of killer instinct, it's Marner. He looked absolutely disengaged this post-season and, frankly, he neglected to take much responsibility for himself in his post-game comments and with today's season ending comments. Again, he's a supremely talented player, but I'm not sure he's the type of player to put a team on his back and lead them to victory. I might be wrong, but I suspect I'm not.

Source: Terry Koshan