Is it time for the Maple Leafs to re-examine the Core-4 experiment?
At the bitter end of the 2020-21 season, Brendan Shanahan said the Maple Leafs would spend the ensuing weeks determining the path forward.What the Leafs front office would not do, however, was contemplate breaking up the Core Four of Auston Matthews John Tavares and William Nylander We want to keep them here, the Leafs president said.Full disclosure: Ive long advocated for the Leafs star-driven approach. But after another postseason loss, even I find myself starting to wonder whether it can actually work  whether its possible for a team to pay four players half the salary cap and win a Stanley Cup.