The Toronto Maple Leafs could look very different next season.
After installing a brand-new front office, led by general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin, the Maple Leafs have made it clear they are open for business. According to hockey insider Chris Johnston, the club has let other teams know they are willing to listen to offers for any of their players, except Auston Matthews.
“They’re open to at least hearing what you have to say on any player but Matthews,” Johnston said Tuesday. “I found it kind of interesting that the word around the league is that they’re willing to listen on a lot of players, maybe in the past, the previous administration hasn’t been.
“Now, keep in mind, guys like Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, they have no-movement clauses, so some of those that could potentially be available, it’s not as available as it might seem on the surface, but it does seem as though, taking this job, John Chayka is considering basically anything but his captain.”
While Matthews is the clear superstar and captain of the club, the Maple Leafs aren’t without other big names who, if moved on, would cause a seismic shift in the team. Included in that group are starring names like William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies, as well as notable roster pieces like Matias Maccelli, Max Domi, Nicholas Robertson, Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brandon Carlo, Joseph Woll, and Anthony Stolarz.
The Maple Leafs finished 28th in the NHL this past season, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. They are a team looking to transition into a new era, especially after winning the recent draft lottery, which earned them the right to select first overall in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.
With the team supposedly open for business, the Washington Capitals would not be a surprising trade partner on a couple of fronts. Caps general manager Chris Patrick has made it known he wants to address two areas of his team’s roster this summer by adding a top-six forward and a right-handed defenseman.
Nylander would certainly fit the bill up front, and he has ties to the DC area, including a close friendship with Capitals defender Rasmus Sandin and time spent with youth club Team Maryland when his father, Michael Nylander, played for the Caps. Given that, the star Swede could potentially be coaxed to relinquish his trade protection if his inevitable landing spot is with the Capitals.
The 30-year-old winger was Toronto’s leading scorer last season with 79 points (30g, 49a) in 65 games. Nylander, who has six years remaining on his contract at a $11.5 million cap hit, ultimately controls his own fate, but it would not be surprising to see him want to depart an ever-evolving, unclear situation in Toronto for a more solidified spot like Washington.
On defense, Brandon Carlo could be a good fit for a Capitals team that could do with some size on the backend. Despite re-signing Timothy Liljegren on Wednesday, the Caps will likely look for another right-handed blueliner given that Rasmus Sandin is set to miss an undetermined amount of next season recovering from ACL surgery.
Carlo, a longtime member of the Boston Bruins, was acquired by the Maple Leafs at the 2025 trade deadline. The six-foot-five, 29-year-old rearguard averaged 19:22 of ice time per game in 55 games last season, including a team-leading 2:51 of shorthanded ice time per game.
Given their status as a contender for much of the past decade, the Maple Leafs have a relatively barren prospect pool, which could be aided by making trades with prospect-rich teams like the Capitals. The NHL’s offseason tends to heat up after the Stanley Cup Finals and near the draft in late June, so time will tell how the new regime in Toronto truly handles its new duties.
