We all suspected it was going to happen. On June 30, it became official: the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Mitch Marner’s rights in a sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
One thing that stood out was the disgust from Maple Leafs fans on social media reacting to clips of Marner discussing Vegas as a potential market with current Golden Knights players who were on Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. And look, I get it. You kind of have to wonder where his head was at. The truth of the matter is, he essentially said the quiet part out loud. Talk to any former player after their playing days are over, and they will admit things they would never have admitted at the time. Just like when a player says he isn’t thinking about his final year of free agency and playing for a new contract, he absolutely is. Tampering? Yes, that happens everywhere; players just don’t often get caught discussing it on the record. So I guess that’s why I didn’t react the way some did to the Marner comments. It was apparent that the player was probably not going to come back, especially given his lack of engagement with Toronto all season long.And as much as fans may lament losing a talent for a depth defensive centerman in Nic Roy, what Maple Leafs fans should be excited for is some form of change. The Leafs have always centered on the same core guys, including Marner. Despite repeated failures in the postseason, the Leafs, who were led at the very top by now former president Brendan Shanahan, remained steadfast in sticking with the same core over and over again.
It really is different now. The Leafs looked like a better defensive team last season. They took the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers to seven games in the second round. There is real change. We just don’t know if it’s for the better or worse.
There is no discounting what Marner provided for the Leafs during the regular season. He stands fifth all-time among Leafs leaders in career points with 741 over 657 games. His minutes at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill will be difficult to replace. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Leafs experience a slip in the standings as a result.
But you know which team wasn’t hurt by a slip in the standings this season? You guessed it: The Florida Panthers. Just get in, and build your team to play the type of game required in the postseason. That’s all that matters for Toronto right now. And when push comes to shove, fairly or unfairly, Marner didn’t deliver that in Toronto.
Perhaps he will with Vegas. However, it was time for a parting of ways, and in some ways, it will be interesting to see what a Leafs team without Marner looks like going forward. They don’t need a forward who will replace everything Marner does. But certainly, replacing him with a capable top-six forward and some nice, buy-low depth pieces will be a different approach than we are used to seeing.
When Craig Berube was brought in as head coach of the Leafs last season, he immediately introduced the words: ‘No Grit. No Grind. No Greatness.’ as the team’s new motto. When the Leafs opened development camp last week, the shirts they wore just had one word on it: Work. The Leafs may have to work harder than they ever have before in a division that is only getting better and more talented around them.
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