William Nylander Pushes Back on Mitch Marner Maple Leafs Exit

Following another tough playoff outing, the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the NHL offseason with a ton of questions to answer. Patience has started to wear thin in Toronto among the fanbae and the front office has pressure like no other to right the ship.

But the Maple Leafs started the offseason out losing star Mitch Marner in free agency, leaving a massive hole in the middle of the roster. Marner has been one of the better offensive players in the league for years, and Toronto isn't simply going to replace his production.

To the credit of the front office, they have added some nice pieces to the mix to help negate Marner's departure. And it seems that the players left in Toronto have noticed.

Star William Nylander spoke about Marner leaving, but also discussed the future of the team. It didn't seem as if Nylander was overly concerned with the roster losing the presence of Marner.

Maple Leafs Confident For 2025-26 Season

“We’ll miss Mitch for sure,” Nylander said. “But we still have a good team. We had a really good season except for a couple of bad games against Florida (in the playoffs). We need to learn from those to take the next step.

“We’ve brought in guys over the summer who certainly can help us and add depth to the team.”

One of the biggest issues for Toronto was the lack of depth across the roster in the playoffs. The front office has helped this a little, and they are hopeful that the more well-rounded team can help the Maple Leafs get over the hump.

But without Marner's offensive presence, others will need to step up. This will be a very telling year for the Maple Leafs, and one that could see drastic changes occur if the team doesn't find success on the ice.