The Toronto Maple Leafs are a mess. President Brenden Shanahan decided this week to part ways with Leafs general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas after Shanahan wasn’t pleased with recent events. A contract extension was being worked on but after Dubas wasn’t fully committed to coming back in his press conference earlier in the week, Shanahan had a change of heart and decided to go another direction. Speaking of change, the Maple Leafs’ roster, like their front office, will very different come opening night in 2023-24.

One Maple Leaf who is now caught in all this crossfire is William Nylander. The talented forward has one season left on his contract at $6.9 million and is eligible to discuss a contract extension in Toronto come July 1. Nylander has a 10-team no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1, so it will become a bit more difficult to make a move. With all the talk about the core four likely being dismantled, it’s very possible a trade goes down this summer.

Here’s a few potential destinations should Nylander be the ‘core four’ member moved:

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Calgary Flames

No, not because Nylander was born in Calgary, it’s just the Flames are in the same boat as the Maple Leafs and will be making big changes heading into next season. Calgary will be looking for more offense from their wing and Nylander is someone who could fit in nicely with their group, playing alongside Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau. This would allow Tyler Toffoli to stay on the second line next season after a career high in points in 2022-23.

For the Maple Leafs, they could use Nylander to target Elias Lindholm. A right-handed center who would be a perfect compliment for Auston Matthews in the two hole down the middle. Lindholm recorded 64 points in 80 games last season, plays an effective 200-foot game and wins 56% of his faceoffs. Another great element to his game is the fact he kills penalties. With the Maple Leafs potentially losing David Kampf and Noel Acciari in free agency, it will be important for the team to add talented penalty killers to the mix.

I see them making adjustments by adding players they can plug-and-play into their lineup and more specifically in the top six where the new gaping hole exists. Will Calgary be on Nylander’s no-fly zone? Hard to say at this point, obviously, but if this trade went down before July 1, then it’s a non factor.