Maple Leafs better off Marner saga ended, insider claims

The Toronto Maple Leafs are better off without the drama surrounding Mitch Marner moving forward.

In the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the Toronto Maple Leafs' post-free agency frenzy. During the discussion, Friedman underscored how much the drama surrounding Marner and his impending free agency created a distraction around the team.

Friedman didn’t cite the drama as a reason for the Leafs’ playoff failure. But he did explicitly state that some players felt burdened after the trade deadline came and went, and Marner wasn’t traded.

Reading between the lines, there’s room to believe that the drama surrounding Marner eventually got to some players. While Friedman didn’t come close to hinting which players felt affected, we could assume the situation had a blanket effect on the entire team.

Again, this comment wasn’t about making excuses about why the Leafs were unable to beat the Florida Panthers in the second round, though they came close. The reality is that the Mitch Marner saga was among the various factors that led to the Maple Leafs’ playoff exit this spring.

Ultimately, the Leafs are better off without the drama. Losing Marner hurts, of course. But dropping the drama doesn’t. The team now has an opportunity to rally around a common goal and hopefully come together in finally getting over the proverbial postseason playoff hump.

Check out Friedman’s comments from the 1:15:10 mark onward.

Maple Leafs’ lineup to build identity

Another interesting comment Friedman made underscored the overwhelming importance placed on the now-defunct Core Four. In particular, the comment showed how much importance the organization had placed on their top four players, leaving others bereft of a role and an identity on the team.

Anyone who’s followed the Leafs throughout the Core Four era could see that. The team was built around the Core Four, inserting other players as accessories to the top-four guys.

That attitude shifted under GM Brad Treliving. But it didn’t fully register until Craig Berube arrived. However, the final element of resistance was Brendan Shanahan. With Shanahan out of the picture, Treliving was finally able to make the moves he had to make.

As a personal note, I would venture to say that the Marner trade would have never happened if Shanahan were still at the helm. The team would have capitulated to Marner’s demands and made him the highest-paid player in the league.

Of course, that’s purely my speculation. But judging from previous history, that could have been a likely scenario. Furthermore, it’s uncertain if the Leafs could have been able to negotiate a fair price with John Tavares, leaving the Leafs with an untold number of years of the same Core Four situation.

That’s not the case. Treliving ripped off the band-aid, and now the remaining Maple Leafs’ players will be working in training camp to solidify their roles as they look to cement their roles on the team.

2025-26 will be the first season of a brand-new era. It will be the first full season of the Matthews Era. Fans shouldn’t be surprised to find a different sort of team than the one they've grown accustomed to watching over the last decade or so.