Numbers Say Maple Leafs Have Clear In-House Solution to Vacant RW Spot After Marner's Departure

Losing Mitch Marner this summer was always going to be a tough pill to swallow, and finding his replacement was never going to be easy - or realistic.

With a shallow free agent pool and the trade market having gone radio silent, the Toronto Maple Leafs did the best that they could as they shored up their forward corps with the signing of Michael Pezzetta as well as the acquisitions of Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua through trades.

The Leafs look like a very different team than the one that took the Florida Panthers to 7 games in the second round of the playoffs, and while many believe they still need to address their Marner-sized hole in the top-6, the Leafs might actually have an in-house solution to that problem.

Auston Matthews and Max Domi have quietly dominated while playing together, albeit not at the same sample size as Matthews-Marner. However, with changes afoot, perhaps those numbers can be replicated during the course of the 2025-26 season.

As mentioned by one Leafs Twitter/X user, when on the ice together, the duo of Matthews and Domi have controlled 60% of the shot attempts, 67% of the expected goals, 71% of high-danger chances, and 63% of the goals -- so, they're pretty lethal.

The key to success for the Leafs heading into the new season is going to be the health and well-being of Matthews. Even during an injury-riddled campaign, the Leafs captain tallied 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games. He would also add 11 points in 13 post-season games.

However, that's a far cry from the 69 goals and 107 points he tallied the year prior and the 60 goals and 106 points he accumulated 2 years before then. In between those seasons were campaigns where he dealt with upper-body injuries, yet he still managed to score over a point per game, proving his elite abilities.

A fully healthy Matthews leading the charge is exactly what the Leafs need. If he's paired up with Domi, and they combine to dominate once again, Toronto can afford to stand pat this summer and look to splurge at the trade deadline with the excess amount of cap space available to them.