Craig Berube reveals what Maple Leafs lost when Mitch Marner left

With the offseason they have put together, the Toronto Maple Leafs are clearly one of the NHL’s most exciting teams heading into the 2026-27 season.

Things were very different during the 2025-26 campaign, however, when the Maple Leafs endured a disappointing season and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

New general manager John Chayka is determined to make sure the 2026-27 season looks completely different by reshaping the roster.

Even so, the discussion continues to center on what went wrong during that disappointing campaign. Some have attributed the team’s struggles to the loss of Mitch Marner, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Former Toronto head coach Craig Berube recently appeared on Rob Simpson’s "Simmer’s Morning Skate" and specifically addressed what the Maple Leafs lost when Marner departed.

Craig Berube says Mitch Marner was the "energy" for Maple Leafs

According to Berube, the biggest loss was the energy the Canadian forward brought to the team.

"Mitch Marner, for sure. I thought Mitch was the energy. He brought the energy and the emotion to the game, I thought, on a nightly basis. And, in practice," he said.

"Vocal guy, chatted a lot on the bench, chatted a lot in practice. Brought the energy, when he came back to the bench, he’d let guys know to pick it up, let’s go."

That said, things worked out well for Marner after leaving Toronto.

In his first season with the Sin City franchise, he helped lead the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final, where they ultimately fell to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Even so, Marner was a key contributor throughout the season, appearing in 81 games and recording 24 goals and 56 assists for 80 points.