WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: Brady Tkachuk #7 of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena on April 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Not Done Making Moves This Summer.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a lot of moves this summer, and appear to be resting as, other than re-signing the unnecessary Connor Dewar, and replacing Wes Clark, they haven’t done anything in weeks.
But the Toronto Maple Leafs are not done changing their roster.
There will be more moves later this summer, I guarantee it.
How do I know?
Simple: I wrote this article on how bad their bottom-six is, and signing Connor Dewar doesn’t change that. (all stats naturalstattrick.com).
The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Not Done Making Moves This Summer
Before the summer is over, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a few things to do:
They must re-sign Mitch Marner. This is the big one. There is no way they can let him come into the next season unsigned, which will be the biggest distraction in team history, which is saying a lot.
The fact is, the Leafs can’t win a Marner trade and they technically can’t overpay him because of how valuable star players are in the NHL.
Jack Eichel and Matt Tkachuk were both traded to teams that instantly won the Stanley Cup, and Brad Treliving made one of those deals, so obviously he’s not going to be the guy who trades Marner.
The Leafs also need to resolve the Nick Robertson situation – if he’s in the fold his increased role can offset the loss of Tyler Bertuzzi, otherwise the Leafs essentially just swapped out Bertuzzi for Tanev because everyone else they changed is a replacement player.
The Leafs have too much deadweight on their roster and no room to break any rookies in. Therefore David kampf, Ryan Reaves and Calle Jarnkrok all obviously need to go.
And finally, who is the third line centre, because it sure as hell isn’t Pontus Holmberg. The Leafs either need to make a trade for a star player to fill this role, or they have to move one of Nylander or Marner (preferably Marner) to centre while moving Tavares down to the 3C position.
Either way, their current team isn’t close to being ready for October.
Before the season opens, the Toronto Maple Leafs need a new third-line centre, they must clear the dead-weight off their roster and they must resolve both of the Nick Robertson and Mitch Marner situations.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Move Mitch Marner….. to Centre
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How each situation is resolved will go a long way in deciding how this upcoming season goes.
Expect Toronto Maple Leafs Superstar Mitch Marner to Have Career Year
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a new award winning after next season
Sure there was a little blip on Mitch Marner’s path to being the most beloved player in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but I guarantee you that no one will remember it later.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will finally put to bed their playoff issues and Mitch Marner will have a career year in 2024-25.
Marner as an outcast pariah that everyone blames (erroneously) for the Leafs troubles?
That sentiment will be remembered as well and as fondly as the criticism that proceeded Nathan MacKinnon’s ninth NHL season.
Expect Toronto Maple Leafs Superstar Mitch Marner to Have Career Year
The Leafs can’t trade Marner because they will lose the trade and, not only that, but they would also alienate Auston Matthews, which they cannot do.
If they were smart, and there is precious little evidence that they are, they’d take the PR hit this summer and sign him to an eight-year extension before he breaks out and they have to pay him even more next year.
Whatever happens, only two things are sure: Marner will be on the Leafs in October, and he will have his best season ever.
A lot of the Marner criticism is due to bad luck. He’s been on pace for 100 points in each of the past four seasons, but something has come up every year to prevent him from hitting the magical milestone.
And the Playoffs? Just as unlucky, as Marner has had to deal with Auston Matthews being injured or sick in three of the last four playoffs.
Then there is the little problem of going 18 straight playoff games without a goal, which really sucks, but is also extremely unlucky. It is doubtful Marner ever has before, or ever will go 18 games without a goal for the rest of his life.
If not for all that bad luck, people might realize how good he is. Instead of saying he stinks in the playoffs, they might acknowledge that he’s one of the leading point-per-game scoreres in the playoffs of his generation.
They might acknowledge his goal suppression or the fact that the Leafs played to about a 55% xGF when he’s been on the ice.
Mitch Marner is an awesome player. He is just one good playoff season away from being a universally acknowledged top-ten player in the NHL and the second-best member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the history of their franchise.
Don’t buy-in to the group-think mob-mentality that blames Marner for everything. He didn’t choose to keep Ilya Samsonov on the roster, he didn’t choose to sit out the trade deadline and he can’t help it that he came back a month early and played the entire playoffs on one leg.
I have never met Mitch personally, but I’ve been writing about him since the day he was drafted. I feel like I do know him, and the guy I think I know is going to be extremely motivated to have his best season ever.
Mitch Marner didn’t become the best home-grown player in the history of the NHL’s most storied franchise by quitting when the going got tough. He is going to take what people are saying about him and turn it into a 140 point season where he scores 40 times, and gets nominated for both the Hart and Selke Trophies.
