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Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs (Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Maple Leafs Talk 'Radical' Replacement Plan if Marner Leaves

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Parsons | Last updated May 29, 2025 1:45 PM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving met with the media on Thursday and discussed several topics, including the departure of President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan, the team’s approach to this summer, free agency, and the potential departures of two major players, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.

Speaking specifically about Marner, when asked how the team would avoid taking a step backwards if the superstar winger were to leave in free agency, Treliving confirmed that this isn’t the type of player you simply go out and replace. That, along with a new approach to changing the DNA of the team, suggests that the Maple Leafs may not try to replace Marner at all.

What Approach Would the Leafs Take if Marner Leaves?

The door isn’t completely closed to Marner staying, and the GM confirmed that Marner has a say in this. He noted, “We’re in that process right now,” and that he will get in touch with Marner’s agent. “We’ll have to see how this all works…. And he’s got a say in the process.”

However, Treliving understands that there is a chance Marner will test free agency and choose another team.

Instead of trying to fill the hole left by one superstar with another, Treliving hinted that the team will focus on changing the roster’s makeup with several players, rather than just one. Noting, “There’s some DNA that needs to change in our team,” he explained this wasn’t a comment made to slight Marner, but the Leafs as a whole fell short in games that mattered.

Treliving noted that there was an element of embracing the big moment — like a Game 7 versus the Florida Panthers — that the team didn’t do. He said that they looked tight and couldn’t respond when down a goal. He said it felt more like the score was 4-0 versus 1-0. There was a sense it was over, even if the task of coming back was far from insurmountable.

What the Leafs need more of are players who rise to the challenge, have been there before, and despite the want and desire, aren’t overcome when the moment requires more.

The Leafs want players who embrace the challenge and ultimately succeed in those moments. That might mean going out and finding one or two players who have the experience necessary to bring the other players into the fight.

Why Didn’t the Maple Leafs Do This Before?

On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a radical idea: get players who have playoff experience and are known for rising to the challenge. That is not this version of the Maple Leafs, and it hasn’t been for some time.

As good as Auston Matthews, Marner, and William Nylander are, they have yet to prove they can answer the call when their teams need them most. Perhaps that person or persons need to be part of the core group. This is something that should have been addressed several seasons ago, but was largely neglected.

There have been hints that Toronto has tried to improve its roster, adding names like Corey Perry, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz. It wasn’t enough, and those players weren’t going to impact the top of the line-up as much as Toronto probably needed.

It’s going to be a long summer for Treliving. He has a tall task ahead of him, and if he truly believes the DNA of the roster needs to change and that players with the ability to stay calm in the most significant moments are a priority, we can all say goodbye to the “Core Four.”

If there’s one thing that group has proven over the last several seasons, it’s that they don’t have that innate ability to rise to the bigger moments and not just embrace them, but overcome. That means, if Marner goes, there’ll be no one elite player coming back– not unless that player has the “DNA” the Leafs are looking for.

Those types of players don’t grow on trees.