The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be sellers by the NHL trade deadline which concludes tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST. One big name that won’t be moved is star forward Mats Sundin.

For weeks now Sundin had been mentioned in rumors, but he would first have to waive his no-trade clause. He was first approached by Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher two weeks ago about the possibility of moving on to a contender.

"(Fletcher) asked if I wanted to go somewhere. He said he'd give me a few days to think about it. My position, in my heart and the way I've been thinking, has never changed. I don't want to go anywhere else. So, that's where it stands today."

After carefully thinking it over with his family and meeting with his agent in Ottawa, Sundin announced on Sunday that he would not waive his no-trade clause.

"I have carefully considered the team's request that I waive my no-trade clause," Sundin said in a statement. "I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate."

The Maple Leafs had been hoping to trade the free-agent to be for prospects and high draft picks rather than possibly losing him to free agency.

Sundin, Quebec’s first overall pick in 1989, has played in 1.294 games posting 548 goals and 757 assists for 1,305 points. In 970 games with the Maple Leafs, Sundin has 413 goals, 558 assists and 971 points.

With Sundin officially off the market, Toronto will not turn its intentions on trading other high priced players.

"There's not much you can do when a player chooses to exercise his no-trade or no-movement clause," Fletcher told TSN. "You have to respect it. We will have to look at other options and do the best we can under the circumstances. Mats just didn't want to be a rental player and he's not prepared at this time to sign a new contract. I am sure he will do what he usually does and wait until the summer to make his decision on what he's going to do (for next season)."

One player the Leafs hope to move, Pavel Kubina, has a no-trade clause like Sundin. In addition to the no-trade clause, Kubina also makes $5 million this season. Those two factors are sure to scare off some potential suitors.

It was reported last week that the Leafs had agreed to send Kubina to the Flyers for Jeff Carter and draft picks, but the trade was never finalized because Fletcher didn’t get the approval from Kubina beforehand.

Kubina is a rugged defenseman who isn’t afraid to mix it up and can produce a good amount of points. He is becoming injury prone over the past two seasons and hasn’t played a full season since 2003-04.

In 645 career NHL games, Kubina has 77 goals, 180 assists and 257. Kubina was a member of Tampa Bay’s 2004 Stanley Cup Championship team.

In addition to possibly moving Kubina, the Leafs are shopping defenseman Bryan McCabe and goaltender Andrew Raycroft.

McCabe, a 13-year veteran on the NHL, is signed through 2011 and makes $7.15 million this season. McCabe’s salary ranks among the highest in the league.

It will be hard to move McCabe mainly because of the length of his contract and his salary. Over the final three years of his contract, his salary decreases to $6.15 million next season and $4.15 million over the final two years.

In 898 career games, McCabe has 114 goals, 296 assists and 410 points.

Andrew Raycroft, the once prized offseason acquisition, is believed to be on the move since the Leafs acquired Vesa Toskala from San Jose during the offseason.

In his first season with Toronto, Raycroft posted respectable numbers and nearly led the Maple Leafs to the playoffs. In 72 games last season, Raycroft went 37-25-9 with a 2.99 goals against average.

This season, however, has been a major disappointment for the Belleville native. In only 17 games this season, Raycroft has gone a dismal 2-8-4 with a lousy 4.08 goals against average. His poor play this season will surely shy away teams that were looking to add a valuable back-up.

The Maple Leafs have decided that now is the time to trade away big contracts and begin the rebuilding process. Offering big contracts and no-trade clauses could come back to hurt Toronto, but it won’t be known until tomorrow.