Auston Matthews Opens Up About the Possibility of Mitch Marner Leaving the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski - Imagn Images
Auston Matthews opens up about the possibility of Mitch Marner leaving this summer as the elephant in the Maple Leafs' locker room continues to grow.
Now that the 2024-25 season is over, the Toronto Maple Leafs have to get their ducks in a row with the draft and free agency approaching.
The elephant in the room from now until July 1st will be whether or not Mitch Marner returns, and based on the commentary coming out of their end-of-season presser, it seems unlikely.
The core that encompasses Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander have been together for 9 seasons and 9 subsequent post-season runs. Unfortunately, they found a new way to lose every single season, and nearly a decade later, it looks like it's finally time to move on.
Matthews and Marner have been joined at the hip since they both made their debuts in 2016-17 as the two have made headway in nearly all statistical categories in franchise history. With the possibility of a split coming in the near future, Matthews opens up about what that means for he and the team.
"He's a brother, he's such a good teammate and friend. We're extremely close. He's extremely close with a lot of guys on the team. He's a big part of our team and has been a big part of our team for a long time. Unfortunately, that's the nature of the business. People come and go, and he has the right to make his own decision, but we all love him very much, and like I said, he's an amazing person and teammate."
The writing was already on the wall heading into the post-season, but it has now become very apparent that a split is more than forthcoming and the players are starting to feel the impact, including Matthews.
Filling the void will be tough, but based on his asking price and what the Maple Leafs need to succeed in future seasons to come, a reunion seems like a bad idea for all parties involved. They need to be able to spend money to address key roster needs.
It will be hard for the core members remaining, like Matthews and Nylander, to see a close friend and teammate leave, but they're now positioned to be the horses leading the carriage in what should be a new era of Leafs hockey.
| POLL | ||
MAI 21 | 8490 ANSWERS Auston Matthews Opens Up About the Possibility of Mitch Marner Leaving the Maple Leafs Will Auston Matthews reach the 50-goal plateau next season? | ||
| Yes | 4556 | 53.7 % |
| No | 3934 | 46.3 % |
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