The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered yet another disappointing playoff exit this year when they were defeated by the Florida Panthers in the second round, but it seems like this time around, the team is finally committed to making some much-needed changes to the core of their roster.
For a decade now, the Leafs have relied on a four-player core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner, and while they tend to be great in the regular season, things always seem to change in the postseason.
Marner has especially been hit with a lot of criticism over a perceived lack of effort, defensive lapses, and production that just isn't at the level expected of him.
Now, ahead of the NHL Draft on Friday and the start of free agency next week, Leafs GM Brad Treliving said that he expects to see Marner on the open market.
"We've had communication," Treliving said, per NHL.com. "I'd probably describe it [that] unless there is significant change here, I would anticipate he's going to hit the market.
"And we'll see. We'll see where things go."
I think this is the right move for both parties.
For the Leafs, it frees up some money to go hunt down some new pieces. Maybe even Brad Marchand; signing him is probably the only way to keep him from beating the Leafs in the postseason.
I think Marner is ready for a change, too, and the end of his deal comes at a good time for him. His last deal was worth $10,901,333 per year, and considering he's coming off a 102-point season, the best of his career, as well as the salary cap going up, he might be getting a raise.
A change of scenery away from the microscope that is Toronto will also be good for Marner, and I think signing in a smaller market with a team that's on the come-up would be a great fit for him, and the Utah Mammoth fits that bill. The only slight problem is that after acquiring JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres, they only have a hair under $15 million in cap space, which is more than plenty to sign Marner, but wouldn't leave much to sure up their team in other areas, unless, of course, they make some moves to free up space.
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