After another disappointing elimination in the playoffs, it appears that members of both the team and the management group have taken the heavy lifting in a big way. On May 15, 2023, the Toronto Maple Leafs kept their media available, and it was another year of the same quotes. Plus another year of questions surrounding the core of the team.
Although William Nylander appeared during the back half of the second round against the Florida Panthers, the rest of the starting four appeared disengaged. John Tavares and Auston Matthews failed to find the back of the net in all five games, the exact opposite of what they were paid to do. As for Mitch Marner, rumors swirl around him the most.
Marner postseason struggles
After another great season, Marner seemed to struggle in the postseason. He had 14 points, however, 11 of them came in the first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. When the team was most in need of an MVP, he again came up short. So, the question must be asked now. Is playing in Toronto (his hometown) too much pressure on him?
It doesn’t seem like any fan will ever know the answer, the only ones who will be are his family and team. However, if you think about it, playing his hometown team almost seems like too much for him mentally, and that limits his production when the pressure is on him. Maybe it’s due to a lack of success in his seven years with the team, or maybe it’s because he’s used to creating space in the regular season, and when the playoffs roll around it’s a different game. Either way, the organization needs to know the cause and address it properly so that core can finally overcome postseason fears and find success.
Maple leaf perspective
When the general manager of the Maple Leafs took the microphone at media availability, he pointed out, “I will never take anything off the table.” He also talked about the trade the Panthers made last season to the Calgary Flames and how that changed the dynamic of the team. Now, it’s important to note that trading one of the best players on your team can backfire, especially when Marner publicly tells the media that he wants to play for the Leafs. With that said, the ownership group and front office seem tired of the same score every season and could be looking to make a big splash.
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Is Marner the right player to go? Well, it is always difficult to trade a player with this level of skill, but it may be the only viable option. Nylander has one year left in his deal but has also appeared year after year in the postseason. Also, if he wants to sign an extension, he can do so as soon as July 1, 2023. The expectation would be an increase in his Average Annual Value (AAV) to approximately $9-10 million but still not the same as Marner’s $10.9 million to become eligible. For extension on July 1, 2024.
There’s no way the Maple Leafs would part ways with Matthews unless, of course, he didn’t want to re-sign with the club, and they transferred him rather than lose him for a fee. However, in the postseason press conference, mention it “My intention is to be here.” So that basically takes Matthews out of the equation. As for Tavares, he has a full non-move clause (NMC), which means that whatever the team might want to do around him, needs his approval. That means he’s off the table unless he agrees to forfeit his NMC, but that doesn’t seem likely. This brings us back to Marner as the only realistic trading option to shake up the team dynamic.
Marner Trade Destinations
All this talk of being open to trading anyone may just be hype, but we’ll still look at some teams that might be interested in Marner should the Maple Leafs really change things up. It wouldn’t make sense for the team to trade Marner for another club in its league. Most teams tend to dread the chance that the player they trade will be the X factor when playing them. So, it would be wise for Toronto to emulate what the Panthers have done with Matthew Tkachuk Trading When they got him from the Calgary Flames.
Related: What the Matthews Maple Leaf Extension Could Look Like
If any team is interested in Marner from the Western Conference, the two teams that come to mind are the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks. The Kings could use a player like Marner to take on the Edmonton Oilers in the postseason. He also has experience playing in a large market with a large following, so if he can get out of Toronto and get away from the pressures of his hometown, he could potentially make a serious impact in the postseason.
Related: The Blackhawks will need to build wisely around Conor Bedard
The Blackhawks have been given the ultimate gift from the hockey gods, the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Playoffs. They would choose Connor Beddard as the cornerstone of their franchise. If they can add Marner to play alongside Bedard, it might be the best thing to rebuild them. If both teams can come to an agreement, Chicago can quickly become a team everyone wants to go for.
Although it seems very unlikely that the Maple Leafs will part ways with Marner, it looks like something needs to change. The change would simply be a head coach change and then bring back all four core members. However, there has been a lot of speculation that the organization has everything on the table, and this could mean that at least one member of the core will not be returning.