NHL: Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn — The end of Maple Leafs' Core Four? 3 key storylines to watch out for in Game 6 between Toronto and Panthers - Source: Imagn

The end of Maple Leafs' Core Four? 3 key storylines to watch out for in Game 6 between Toronto and Panthers

Modified May 17, 2025 08:48 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the brink of elimination, and Game 6 could be the end of the current core.

Toronto raced to a 2-0 series lead but has lost three straight games to go down 3-2. The Maple Leafs are now on the road facing elimination.

Ahead of Game 6 on Friday night in Florida, here are three storylines to watch.

3 key storylines for Maple Leafs vs Panthers Game 6

#1 The end of Core Four?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been led by the Core Four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares, but Game 6 could be the end of the quartet.

Marner and Tavares are both pending free agents, and it seems likely Marner won't be back. Although Tavares has said he wants to be back, it's not a lock, especially if Toronto loses in Game 6. The Maple Leafs' front office may want a complete shake-up of their current core group.

#2 Can Matthews produce in the second round?

Auston Matthews is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, but he has struggled to produce this round.

Matthews has yet to score in this series, and the only other time Toronto made the second round, he also failed to score.

If Toronto is to force a Game 7, Matthews will have to chip in offensively. Although he is doing a good job defensively, Matthews is the highest-paid player in the NHL because of his ability to score, and Toronto needs him to find the net.

#3 Will Panthers inch closer to being a dynasty?

After the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, many figured we wouldn't see another repeat champ in the NHL for quite some time.

Due to the salary cap and the parity in the NHL, it's hard to win, let alone back-to-back. Yet, the reigning Cup champs in the Florida Panthers could be one step closer to achieving that feat.

Florida has made the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years and is looking to reach it for the third straight time. If the Panthers do secure a second consecutive title, it will be well-positioned to be considered a dynasty.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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