Sheldon Keefe had some shocking statements after last night's loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and this one implies that he thinks the Leafs' core isn't worth the money.

Sheldon Keefe Makes Statement About Avalanche Players

The constant discussion about the Leafs' core four is whether or not they are being overpaid. With Nylander's recent contract, this discussion has only amplified. After every loss where the core doesn't play well, such as last night's against the Colorado Avalanche, the talks get more serious.

Now, Sheldon Keefe has alluded to the fact that the Avalanche's core group, who is paid less than the Leafs, plays in another league because of how good they are.

What's bad for Keefe here is he's saying that they have 4 guys making $47M next year.. and apparently they aren't even in the same league as MacKinnon and Co.

-

Leafs Paying Their Core 5 Million More Than Avalanche's Core

The breakdown of the core contracts between the two Stanley Cup contenders can be seen as follows:

Mackinnon + Rantanen + Drouin + Toews + Makar = $40.15M

Matthews + Marner + Nylander + Reilly + Brodie = 45.15M

The Leafs are spending a significant amount of money on their top guys, which is well-known and has been discussed ad nauseam. What is interesting is that Sheldon Keefe thinks the Avalanche's group is significantly better than the Leafs, meanwhile, they are spending $5 million more on their contracts.

For Leaf fans, hopefully, the Core will step up in the second half of the back-to-back they are playing tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, in order to quell some of this discourse.

POLL

JANUARY 14 |738 ANSWERS

Sheldon Keefe Shockingly Admits That the Maple Leafs Core Isn't Worth the Money