from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

Maybe it’s time for the Maple Leafs to trade Jake Gardiner.

And if Kasperi Kapanen has to go as well as the Leafs deal with a tighter salary cap, then it’s up to general manager Kyle Dubas to make it all fit for a playoff run now while looking to keep the core together for playoff runs to come.

But such talk may fly in the face of logic given Gardiner is an important part of the Maple Leafs, a team that finally can say it has Stanley Cup aspirations and is respected around the league.

But the defenceman’s future with the team is tenuous. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent July 1, able to command a salary in the $6-million to $7-million range, a price tag that would appear too high for the Leafs.

Because by the time Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews get news deals, most of the team’s pending $26 million in salary cap money will be gone, and there will be others to sign.

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