Reporter's Bold Take on This Year's Maple Leafs Won't Sit Well with Fans

July 1st saw Mitch Marner's tenure with the Maple Leafs officially come to an end when the 28-year-old was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Marner's departure has left a massive hole on the Leafs' top line beside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has said time and time again that they can't just pluck another Marner off of a tree, but is hopeful to replace Marner's impact on both sides of the puck by committee.

In his annual 'Three In, Three Out' article, Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin lists three teams that could make the playoffs in the upcoming season, after missing the previous year, and three teams that could miss the playoffs after making it the season prior.

This year, Larkin listed the Anaheim Ducks, Utah Mammoth and Columbus Blue Jackets as teams that could make it to the post-season in 2025-2026, while also listing the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs as three teams that may find themselves on the outside looking in.

In his piece, Larkin did specifically note that he does believe the Leafs will still make the playoffs, but that they could be playing 'white-knuckle' games into mid-April after losing Marner and depending on if the Leafs can get goaltending similar to career years from Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll last season.

Both Stolarz and Woll dealt with injuries last season, and the Leafs are hopeful that doesn't continue this year, but the biggest questions currently surrounding this team are 'who replaces Marner?' and 'how does the team go about obtaining that replacement?'.