Carson Anderson
As the Toronto Maple Leafs joined the handshake line following their Game 7 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, a cruel reality set in. It may finally be time to make some significant changes to the team’s roster after another opening-round exit from the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs fell to the Bruins in a hard-fought seven-game series that culminated on Saturday. Of course, Toronto was without the services of star center Auston Matthews for two games during the series as he dealt with an unknown illness.
While the Maple Leafs won a few games without Matthews in the lineup, it certainly wasn’t due to an offensive barrage during that two-game stretch. In fact, the Maple Leafs averaged just 1.71 goals in the entire series.
Over the years, Toronto has put a lot of faith in its core group of Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, and has very little to show for it.
“We’ve been through a lot together” Matthew said in relation to the main Toronto group. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s a game of inches [and] We have not yet overcome this obstacle. But obviously, as the years go by, you grow and we got extremely close.”
During their time together, the Maple Leafs trio won just one playoff series, which was against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After all, this was a franchise that hadn’t won a postseason series. since the 2003-04 campaign, before that victory.
Matthews and Nylander signed a huge contract extension last calendar year, so it’s obvious neither will be packing their bags to go elsewhere anytime soon. Still, something needs to change after another year of not being able to stand out in the Stanley Cup.
It’s time to shake things up and try to overcome one of the team’s main assets, Marner.
Marner has a no-movement clause in his contract, so trading him wouldn’t exactly be the easiest task to accomplish for the Maple Leafs front office. Still, it might be best for both parties to part ways at this point.
During the series, Marner recorded just one goal and two assists. He recorded an assist in Games 3 and 5 while also scoring a third period goal in Game 4.
However, Marner’s effort at both ends of the ice left a little to be desired in several spots, including in the depths of Saturday’s Game 7.
For example, Marner found himself on the defensive end of the play when Bruins star David Pastrnak scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 7. Marner was checking Pastrnak in the neutral zone, but let Pastrnak get past him and get into position. scoring the winning goal after a tackle from Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm.
Pastrnak turned on the jets on the play, and Marner’s teammates certainly didn’t do him any favors. There’s no guarantee that Marner would have been able to knock Pastrnak off the puck if he had a little support, but it still wasn’t a good look for Marner to get beat like that.
The 2024-25 season is the final year of Marner’s contract, and he has a $10.9 million cap hit in that final year. It will not be an easy task to move this type of contract.
Despite his lackluster postseason, Marner is still a sensational top-six forward capable of helping another team. The veteran winger has scored at least 85 points in each of the last three seasons, including 26 goals and 59 assists in 2023-24.
Something needs to change on the Maple Leafs roster, and moving Marner makes a lot of sense. If Toronto can find a trade partner that Marner is willing to go to, it will be best for both parties.
