Opinion: Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade John Tavares

The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves on the brink of elimination. The fan base has always had a "whipping boy" and William Nylander and Cody Ceci seem to be their current target. There are daily opinion pieces and mass tweets about trading these players, but here are some good reasons to trade team captain, John Tavares.

Tavares is a great player that any team would be lucky to have. However, his annual cap hit is $11 Million. He will be 30 years old in September and he has 5 years left on his contract. He had an impressive first season with the Leafs totaling 88 points, but he only reached 60 points and had a plus/minus of -7 this season. He currently has 1 point (1 goal) and is a -2 in this year's playoffs. The team and fans deserve results from a high salary player like Tavares.

Why the should Kyle Dubas Trade John Tavares?

His point production does not meet the expectations of a $11 million player.
The team is going to have some salary issues; unloading $11 million for assets could pay off.
Will he be an elite player as he surpasses age 30? Brent Seabrook, Johnny Boychuk, and Andrew Ladd should be a lesson to the Maple Leafs.