5 Maple Leafs players and personnel detrimental to retool roster after failed Core Four experiment feat. Mitch Marner

The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the offseason looking to retool their roster following yet another disappointing and frustrating playoff exit. As a result, the team officially closed the door on the so-called Core Four experiment.

But as the Maple Leafs look to move forward next season, some members stand out as anchors weighing the team down. These individuals could be serious roadblocks to Toronto’s quest to bring home a Stanley Cup championship.

So, let’s take a look at five Maple Leafs players and personnel holding the team back following the failed Core Four experiment.

5 Maple Leafs players and personnel detrimental to retool roster after failed Core Four experiment

#5 Nick Robertson

Nick Robertson and Toronto could be headed for another summer of drama - Source: Imagn

The Leafs are staring at another summer of drama with Nick Robertson. Last year, the needless distraction caused by Robertson’s trade request added a burden to the team’s front office as they attempted to accommodate Robertson’s request.

Robertson and the Leafs are once again headed to a contract showdown, potentially adding more needless drama as the Leafs look to bolster the lineup. Even if the Leafs and Robertson quickly agree on a new contract, he would take up a roster that could be better utilized for a more productive player.

#4 Craig Berube

Craig Berube isn’t higher on this list just because he got better results in one season than Sheldon Keefe did in five. But one has to wonder just how much more can Berube get out of his players at this point.

Berube espoused a tough-love system that wasn’t all that rigid in the postseason. The Maple Leafs ultimately became victim to the same issues that plagued the team under Keefe. So, it remains to be seen if next season will yield any sort of tangible improvement over this past year.

#3 Brad Treliving

Brad Treliving will now have more wiggle room after Brendan Shanahan's departure - Source: Imagn

Brad Treliving’s two seasons as Maple Leafs GM have been a mixed bad. While the team has gotten solid results during the regular season, the playoffs have been largely disappointing.

Treliving gets the benefit of the doubt as he inherited the Core Four from Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan. As such, Treliving’s hands were tied to a certain extent due to Shanahan’s overbearing presence.

With Shanahan out of the picture, Treliving now has an opportunity to demonstrate he’s for real by building a club that can compete with serious Stanley Cup contenders in the postseason.

#2 Joseph Woll

The Maple Leafs believed that Joseph Woll had the potential to be the team’s number-one goalie. That’s why he was signed to a three-year, $11 million extension last summer.

Unfortunately, Woll did not live up to expectations this season. He eventually lost the starting job to Anthony Stolarz. But when Stolarz went down in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, Woll failed to live up to expectations.

The Leafs may encounter a tough situation with Woll as he may become hard to move if he cannot prove he’s worth the contract extension given to him. The bright spot is that it’s only a three-year deal. So, if the Leafs end up stuck with Woll, it won’t be for an extensive span.

#1 Mitch Marner

The longer Mitch Marner takes the sign, the longe the Leafs may have to delay major decisions - Source: Imagn

Mitch Marner is still technically a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he won’t be for much longer as he is reportedly determined to go to free agency.

That’s why Marner tops this list. The Leafs would ideally resolve the Marner situation on July 1, that is, by signing him to a new contract or seeing him depart elsewhere. But the longer Marner takes to make up his mind, the longer it will hold up the Leafs' decisions moving forward.

If Marner leaves via free agency, he actually unshackles the Leafs from a potential albatross of a contract. But if he stays, and especially if the Leafs pay him what he wants, Marner’s new contract would zap Toronto of cap space that could bring about meaningful change next season and beyond.