Mitch Marner reportedly not returning to Maple Leafs

Mitch Marner has played his last game as a Toronto Maple Leaf.

According to a report from Andy Strickland, the pending unrestricted free agent will not be returning to Toronto and re-signing with the Leafs. Marner will be playing for a new team when the 2025-26 season starts.

The rumors have been swirling about Marner's potential next contract and while the Maple Leafs did have at least a little bit of a chance to retain their homegrown star winger, it seems like no matter what both parties will be moving on. Especially since recent reports of some teams like the Carolina Hurricanes potentially making Marner the NHL's highest-paid player with an average annual value over $14 million, there was no way that Toronto would try their hardest to keep him and match that offer.

Marner played a total of 657 games for the Maple Leafs after being drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, scoring 221 goals and 741 points for the team. In every single year but one, Marner received votes for one of the NHL's individual awards, whether it was the Selke Trophy, Lady Byng, or even the Hart Trophy; Marner was recognized as one of the league's top talents.

Now, where do the Leafs go from here? Without Marner coming back, as it stands Toronto has approximately $25.7 million in cap space with just eight forwards signed. That number also includes the seven total defensemen and both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll under contract in between the pipes. It really is just filling the holes up front, if general manager Brad Treliving does not want to change the blue line.

John Tavares, also a pending unrestricted free agent, is most likely returning with a steep paycut, and that group of eight forwards does not include restricted free agents Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and Matthew Knies. Knies is the only player in that group that will be for sure returning, as it stands.

While we're just doing some guesswork and trying to complete the puzzle, the Maple Leafs should have over $10 million in cap space available to them to try and add a couple forwards. Whether that is in a trade or through free agency, Toronto will need to address the loss of Marner on the ice and attempt to maybe replace some level of the impact that he had. It will be an incredibly tough task to do that.