Matthew Knies Speaks On 'Weird' Maple Leafs’ Locker Room Change

Core Four Era Ends With Mitch Marner’s Exit

The Leafs dealt Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade in parallel with the star winger signing an eight-year, $96 million deal with his new franchise, closing the book on his nine-year tenure in Toronto.

Marner's exit officially ended the "Core Four" era that defined the franchise for nearly a decade alongside current captain Auston Matthews, fellow winger William Nylander, and former captain John Tavares.

During their time together in Toronto, those four didn't amount to much success outside of the regular season. Although the team hasn't missed the playoffs since they returned in 2017, the Leafs will enter their post-Marner era having won just two playoff series since then, never advancing past the second round.

Matthew Knies' Take on How to Replace Mitch Marner's Production

Knies, who broke out with 29 goals and 58 points last season before signing a six-year, $46.5 million extension, said he expects the Leafs to adjust quickly with the offseason additions of Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua.

“It’ll be a bit different without Mitch, but the acquisitions we’ve made have been looking good,” Knies said. “I don’t know what we’ll put together at the start of the season, but we have a lot of great players on our team.”

Asked who might take over Marner’s right-wing role to make up for his voided production, Knies pointed to Nylander, saying, “Willy is pretty dynamic. (Moving Nylander to the first-line gap) wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.”

The Leafs and Golden Knights are scheduled to meet on January 15 in Las Vegas, with Marner returning to Scotiabank Arena on January 23.