<p>After the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> were handed yet another Game 7 loss Sunday in the era of the Core Four, one thing seems apparent: change is on the way.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
<p>And while it feels like we hear this every year when the Leafs make their almost inevitable disappointing playoff exit, there&#8217;s a number of reasons to believe a major roster shakeup is coming. This summer, both <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/reports-mitch-marner-appears-likely-test-free-agency">Mitch Marner</a> and John Tavares are set to become unrestricted free agents, with a number of other stars hitting the market across the league. As soon as next season, we could very well be seeing the Core Four halved, and a new top 6 debuting for the Leafs.</p>
<p>Toronto&#8217;s current longest tenured skater is veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly, who has seen his fair share of roster changes and playoff heartbreaks in his more than a decade with the franchise. But now, with major changes anticipated this offseason, Rielly&#8217;s job may not be as secure as it has been in past seasons. But, speaking to media at Tuesday&#8217;s end of year press conference, the 31-year-old blueliner said it&#8217;s not on his radar.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s not what I&#8217;m thinking about right now,&#8221; Rielly said, on the possibility of starting next season with a new team.</p>
<p>Some notable offensive talent set to hit free agency this summer across the league includes Nikolaj Ehlers, Sam Bennett, Brock Boeser, and Aaron Ekblad. Nevertheless, Rielly remained relatively neutral of what roster changes could be on the way.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s always change,&#8221; Rielly said. &#8220;Every summer, every offseason is different. As a player, I think sometimes it&#8217;s best not to speculate on what may or may not happen. For us, individually for me, you want to focus on what you can do to come back better.&#8221;</p>
<p>Pressed about the strength of this year&#8217;s free agent pool in particular, Rielly says that he trusts Maple Leafs management to make the right decisions.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yeah, I think it&#8217;s a good question. As a teammate you want to retain as many good players as you can. In the summer, you hope really good players come in. I don&#8217;t have anything profound to tell you, you just want the team to be the best they can be, and you put your trust in management that they have a vision.&#8221;</p>
<p>With a strong crop of free agents hitting the market, the cap going up, and a demand for change in Toronto, now is the time to strike on a real roster shakeup for the Maple Leafs. At this point, it no longer seems to be a question of if big changes are on the way, but rather rather what changes are on the way.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>


After the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> were handed yet another Game 7 loss Sunday in the era of the Core Four, one thing seems apparent: change is on the way.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
And while it feels like we hear this every year when the Leafs make their almost inevitable disappointing playoff exit, there's a number of reasons to believe a major roster shakeup is coming. This summer, both <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/reports-mitch-marner-appears-likely-test-free-agency">Mitch Marner</a> and John Tavares are set to become unrestricted free agents, with a number of other stars hitting the market across the league. As soon as next season, we could very well be seeing the Core Four halved, and a new top 6 debuting for the Leafs.

Toronto's current longest tenured skater is veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly, who has seen his fair share of roster changes and playoff heartbreaks in his more than a decade with the franchise. But now, with major changes anticipated this offseason, Rielly's job may not be as secure as it has been in past seasons. But, speaking to media at Tuesday's end of year press conference, the 31-year-old blueliner said it's not on his radar.

"That's not what I'm thinking about right now," Rielly said, on the possibility of starting next season with a new team.

Some notable offensive talent set to hit free agency this summer across the league includes Nikolaj Ehlers, Sam Bennett, Brock Boeser, and Aaron Ekblad. Nevertheless, Rielly remained relatively neutral of what roster changes could be on the way.

"There's always change," Rielly said. "Every summer, every offseason is different. As a player, I think sometimes it's best not to speculate on what may or may not happen. For us, individually for me, you want to focus on what you can do to come back better."

Pressed about the strength of this year's free agent pool in particular, Rielly says that he trusts Maple Leafs management to make the right decisions.

"Yeah, I think it's a good question. As a teammate you want to retain as many good players as you can. In the summer, you hope really good players come in. I don't have anything profound to tell you, you just want the team to be the best they can be, and you put your trust in management that they have a vision."

With a strong crop of free agents hitting the market, the cap going up, and a demand for change in Toronto, now is the time to strike on a real roster shakeup for the Maple Leafs. At this point, it no longer seems to be a question of if big changes are on the way, but rather rather what changes are on the way.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

Recent articles from Dylan Nazareth

Breaking News