Leafs GM candidates reportedly asking Shanahan a very important question about the Core 4

With the ongoing GM search in Toronto likely coming to an end at some point this week or next, I'm certain we're going to hear sooner than later that the Leafs are narrowing the field down to just a few candidates. We have heard names like Brad Treliving, Marc Bergevin, Jason Botterill, Doug Wilson, Peter Chiarelli being thrown around among the currently unemployed contingent of candidates and Doug Armstrong and Jim Nill as some of the currently employed options.

While the Leafs, I'm sure, have been grilling their candidates to determine who the best possible option might be, those same candidates, according to Elliotte Friedman, have been probing the minds of Brendan Shanahan and MLSE for some very important information of their own. They want to know how the organization honestly feels about Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.

Friedman reported on Monday's edition of 32 Thoughts that the Leafs are facing questions about where these players' minds are at, not only now, but in the future and what the chances are that each will sign an extension this summer/next summer and what those extensions might look like.

The candidates for the Leafs' GM job know that they face a daunting task ahead of them and it's believed that one of the reasons that Brad Treliving appears to be the frontrunner is because he has just recently faced some very tough decisions in Calgary, holding onto Johnny Gaudreau in an attempt to get him signed at the 11th hour and then dealing with the Matthew Tkachuk trade request and making the most of a bad situation there.


The Leafs may believe that since Treliving has just endured these pressing matters, he will have learned some important lessons - and these ordeals are still so fresh in his mind. These experiences can no doubt help him when it comes to Matthews, Nylander and Marner, especially who are all due huge extensions over the next 13 months.

Tavares may not be the biggest concern for the Leafs, since he has a full NMC attached to his deal and when it expires in 2 years time, his next deal will either be a whole lot lower-paying, or the team can simply allow their captain to walk in free agency and use his cap space and roster spot on someone else.

It's actually important that these candidates are inquiring about the Core 4. For one, it shows that they're serious about getting to work in the biggest hockey market in Canada. In addition it could also mean that a significant shake-up is coming, which the fanbase believes the team needs after 7 consecutive early exits.