How Maple Leafs’ divorce with Mitch Marner has worked out for both parties (so far)

The Maple Leafs’ breakup with Marner was a necessary one. As much as the hockey world is having a field day with Marner currently leading the NHL in playoff scoring, with seven goals and 18 points in 12 games, it’s worth an evergreen reminder that what we’re seeing from Marner right now never would have happened in Toronto. With the contrast in spotlight between the two markets, the fact that Vegas won a Cup three years ago and doesn’t have the historical pressure of the Maple Leafs, and the fact that he has so far faced two first-time playoff teams in their current forms, it’s no surprise that Marner is thriving in Vegas.

At the same time, it would be naive to pretend that Marner’s departure had absolutely zero impact on their fortunes this season. They may have only been a wildcard team had he stuck around, but they certainly wouldn’t have missed the playoffs to the degree that they did. It’s hard to replace a 90-plus point forward with Selke-level defensive capabilities, playoff success be damned, and it became obvious right away that Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli weren’t enough to do so.

It also stops the Leafs from having to spread their wealth evenly in free agency and will allow them to focus heavy on revamping the defensive corps with NHL-ready help and perhaps pivot back for a second-line centre without having to accept Max Domi as one of their top-line wingers in exchange for that. With two years remaining before Matthews hits free agency, the luck of drawing the first overall will extend their competitive window rather than having to ask tough questions about accepting defeat on this era and spending the next five years at the bottom of the standings.

Oh, and while this is all happening, Marner gets to put on a show in the playoffs in a much more positive light than the one he was viewed in while he was a Leaf. He even gets to score in a Game 7 and make it look like his former team was entirely to blame for his lack of success in Toronto.

Sponsored by bet365