While it's not mandatory for NHL stars to pay attention to their former team's activity over a year since they decided to leave, there is certainly a little bit of an expectation that Mitch Marner is keeping tabs on what the Toronto Maple Leafs are up to.
But, we all watched them have a miserable 2025-26 season that led to both their general manager and coach being fired, and having a monumental roster turnover performed by new general manager John Chayka. Marner leaving and deciding to give up on his dream of winning the Stanley Cup for his hometown team was no doubt a reason why they were so bad.
Because of this disappointment, the Leafs were one of the most active teams this offseason and managed to get top free agent defenseman Darren Raddysh in addition to all their depth-securing moves. Oh, and selecting Gavin McKenna first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft was good too. The Leafs were named the most improved team of the summer, after all.
Mitch Marner was asked about the Leafs' big offseason during the first day of the NHL Media Tour on Wednesday and gave a fairly brief statement on his impression of the team he grew up supporting.
Mitch Marner on the Maple Leafs' BIG off-season: "I obviously see all that stuff. Don't think very much. I'm just thinking about our team and what we've got to do to be the best we can be. I know Raddy quite well, I'm very happy for him. He's worked his butt."
— Michael Traikos (@Michael_Traikos) September 9, 2026
"I obviously see all that stuff. Don't think very much. I'm just thinking about our team and what we've got to do to be the best we can be. I know [Raddysh] quite well, I'm very happy for him. He's worked his butt," Marner said.
There might be a bit of fibbing when he says he doesn't think about the Leafs very much, but that's what we expect now. Marner isn't going to go move by move and compliment Chayka for all the work he has done to transform this team into what is hopefully a playoff contender. But, he's at least happy for his buddy getting a massive contract in free agency and being the new No. 1 defenseman. Maybe it's a bit of jealousy that someone like Raddysh is finally here to help quarterback the power play -- something the Leafs could have desperately used when Marner was still in Toronto.
Chayka did more this summer than most in Toronto
Whether it was the Leafs upper brass or Chayka himself, there was clearly a direction the team needed to head in and there was a commitment to putting a better roster together. During other summers, whether it was Kyle Dubas or Brad Treliving, it felt like there was just minor tweaking around the edges.
It could have been because of the flat salary cap handcuffing someone like Dubas from making the moves he wanted around the Core Four, or Treliving's ineptitude, but there was never really a home run swing like the one Chayka has taken with Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky in previous summers for the Leafs. There were solid moves made, but nothing really fixing major problems.
Time will tell if those gambles will pay off, but at least they were made and now we're in a situation where the Leafs could truly take a giant step forward and get back to winning 50 or so games again. Heck, maybe the Maple Leafs win more games than Marner's Vegas Golden Knights this season. Wouldn't that be something?
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