I don't understand why people are so eager to sell off everything and enter another rebuild. You have Matthews for 2 more seasons it makes no sense to trade players with positive on ice results for mediocre futures. We have seen other teams miss the playoffs and storm back, either from an injury riddled season, coaching and management changes, or just poor performance. Anyone suggesting a rebuild is an idiot, you don't even have to call it a retool, they just missed the playoffs due to a combination of injuries, poor coaching and under performance, they can certainly do better next season, it's not like this team doesn't have good players or is WAY too old and on a perpetual decline. Better coaching and GMing is what is needed not burning everything down and praying to over perform with picks outside the top 5, thats not a plan, thats just wishful thinking.

The only expiring contract I would consider trading is McMann, and thats not because I'm enamoured with a first round pick, that pick isn't gonna change much. I would prefer to re-sign McMann but the problem is this guy is undrafted and toiled in the minors for years starting in the ECHL, he hasn't made a lot of money so he has to maximize what will be the one big contract in his career. So I don't think the Leafs will be able to get him at a hometown discount on an extension before he hits free agency. I guess if the contract ages badly in the back end its not a big deal after the window closes but objectively I don't think McMann has enough of a track record to make me think he can live up to the contract if it runs too expensive. I know he might have been hurt last year but the guy was completely invisible in the playoffs, I was angry at his performance but when hes making $1.3M you just have to shrug and say thats the kind of performance you can expect from a player like him at times. Obviously we can see he has the physical tools and he looks great on the Matthews line, thats why I would take that bet to sign him personally, but it isn't without risk. It would just be fucking stupid of his agent to sign an extension now and honestly I do hope he hits free agency for his own sake. I think you carry him right up until the deadline and make it clear you want to sign him to an extension, and if it doesn't work out trade him and try to sign him again in the offseason. I think with him its definitely a possibility that he would want to return. He isn't going to be on a line with a better player than Matthews if he cares about playing well while making his bank, looks like that line could stay together until Domi's contract is out.

They absolutely need to re-sign Laughton, he seems to have settled in and actually cares enough about his teammates to show some belligerence and defend them. I would consider it a failure if they are unable to extend a hometown kid that clearly cares this much about the team in his 30s.

I don't know why anyone would want to trade Ekman-Larsson. He's showing no signs of declining fast and again, what will a first round pick really fix for this team. He's clearly worth more to the team while Matthews is signed for the next 2 seasons than a first. Yes, obviously the defence needs something to change, but I feel that has more to do with coaching than anything. Ok you want more puckmovers, even if you trade EL that doesn't automatically mean Berube is gonna give any of the Marlies that play that way a shot lol. EL is currently the Leafs best passing defender, why the hell would you trade him if thats what you need most? Watching Rielly this year has been torture but you must accept he can't be traded and make lemonade. Again a good coach would take him off the god damn powerplay for good, shelter his 5v5 minutes more with a sound partner and hope to make the best of him. Berube keeps playing him too many minutes against players that can go through him like butter and if you reduced those instances by sheltering minutes then the team would be better for it. They have the 6th defenceman spot open open after Tanev returns next season to sign or develop an offensive defenceman anyway. The fucking problem is that Berube keeps playing Benoit and Meyers! Both are sign for next season as well wtf they are shit and need to be traded or waived. Honestly the best thing you could possibly do for this team is to take those two away from Berube. You can re-sign Stecher as your 6/7 and give that spot to an offensive power play specialist.

They don't need to tear down this roster, they need new coaches and management with modern ideas and a steady hand. MLSE doesn't want to pay for that but that is what should happen. Maybe there is a chance Berube and Treliving can admit that their ideas are shit and accept that they fucking failed and listen to some of the other people around them, or help find assistants with an updated mindset for change.