Just how irreplaceable is Mitch Marner, the right winger who joined the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal with the Maple Leafs as the free-agent season was opening? The numbers suggest the Leafs have a gaping hole:
- He had a team-leading , including 67 at even strength (first on the Leafs) and 33 on the power play (also first.)
- He led all Leafs forwards in ice time, averaging 21 minutes and 23 seconds per game.
- He was credited with almost twice as many takeaways (56) as the next closest player on the team (Auston Matthews, 29).
- He anchored a power play that was tied for eighth in the league, and led all Leafs forwards in time on ice on the penalty kill (173:41).
- He led the team in primary assists (47) and secondary assists (28).
Marner, in short, touches a lot of the parts of the game and is trusted in all situations because of his instincts and a hockey IQ that is nearly unrivalled.
The star forward’s departure from ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ appears to be DNA-altering by subtraction only.
So how will the Leafs replace Marner? If William Nylander moves to the top line, there still would be a hole on right wing, just on the second line. And Leafs coach Craig Berube likely would prefer to have scoring balance and the continuity of Matthews playing with Matthew Knies, and Nylander with John Tavares.
There could be a few players who get opportunities to line up on Matthews’ wing, And a few more who combine to replace his minutes on the power play and penalty kill.
In short, a Marner-by-committee.
Player X
³¢±ð²¹´Ú²õÌýGM Brad Treliving has the luxury of nearly , which will allow him to scour the remaining free agents and the trade market to find a player who can bring some of Marner’s characteristics.
The rumour mill includes Jack Roslovic, a free agent who scored 22 goals while making $2.8 million with Carolina last season. He Matthews’ teammate in the U.S. national team development program. There’s persistent talk the Leafs would find a way to repatriate Nazem Kadri, who has four years left at $7 million a year, from the Calgary Flames.
More likely, Treliving will wait out the trade market. Teams that get off to slow starts tend to look for ways to move players on expiring deals. In 2025-26, the list could include Buffalo’s Alex Tuch ($4.75 million) and Montreal’s Patrik Laine ($8.7 million), as well as some familiar names in Pittsburgh’s Michael Bunting ($4.5 million), Seattle’s Mason Marchment ($4.5 million), and Chicago’s Ilya Mikheyev ($4.5 million)
Max Domi
Domi has the same pass-first mentality as Marner, and has replaced him when needed. When Marner missed 13 games in 2023-24, Domi played with Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi and had a goal and nine assists in Marner’s absence. His assists per 60 minutes (1.12) were fourth on the team among regulars in 2024-25.
Domi is more likely to take penalties than kill them, but he might be a suitable placeholder at even strength to start the season.
There’s a decent chance ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s latest acquisition auditions for the top line’s right wing, in
Matias Maccelli
The five-foot-11 24-year-old plays well with better and bigger players. When he was with six-foot-five Nick Bjugstad and six-foot-four Lawson Crouse in Arizona and Utah, their puck possession numbers were above 51 per cent. Maccelli led the Coyotes in points per 60 minutes (2.13) in his best season, 2023-24. But to play with Matthews and Knies — both six-foot-three — would require the Finn to play right wing. He’s done it, but never for long stretches.
Maccelli’s defensive stats are pedestrian in terms of blocked shots, takeaways and hits. And he wasn’t trusted to kill penalties.
Nick Robertson
It’s not outside the realm of possibility that Robertson gets his first real shot at a top-six role. So why not on the top line? The 23-year-old can score. He was fourth on the team last season in goals per 60 minutes (1.05).
Defensively, his game grew. He was third in takeaways per 60 minutes (1.37), behind Marner and Matthews. He was pretty good at drawing penalties (0.89 per 60 minutes), second to Knies among regulars.
The addition of Robertson would leave the line without a true playmaker. And Berube would have to look past his size (five-foot-nine), though the coach was always impressed with his work ethic.Â
Robertson’s fate with the team, however, could come down to an arbitrator’s ruling on his salary. If it ends up being more than the Leafs want to pay, they could simply make him an unrestricted free agent.
Morgan Rielly
The longest-tenured Leaf stands to get his power-play job back with Marner having departed. When the Leafs went to a five-forward first unit, Rielly was on the sidelines and his offensive numbers fell (13 power-play assists). His confidence seemed to fall with it. A more-engaged Rielly with the man-advantage could mean a better all-around player.
Nicolas Roy
The centre was the return for Marner in the sign-and-trade with Vegas, and he will likely take Marner’s spot for some of the team’s penalty killing. Roy was fifth among Vegas forwards in short-handed ice time, averaging 47 seconds a game. That pales to Marner’s 2:09 average but the Leafs aren’t short of forwards who can kill penalties, adding Scott Laughton at the trade deadline to a reliable group that includes Matthews, Knies, David Kämpf, Steven Lorentz and Calle Järnkrok.Â
It seems likely the London Knights grad will start with the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Marlies but Cowan says he
Easton Cowan
Is it too much to ask for one Memorial Cup champion with the London Knights to replace another? It’s too much to expect it to happen in October, but Cowan has the confidence to lead a team. He’s part playmaker, part shooter, and a decent skater with a high hockey IQ. If the Leafs are patient, they may have a homegrown peg to fill the hole left by Marner.
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