Mitch Marner could have become a member of the Vegas Golden Knights

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been eliminated early yet again, and there’s panic in town.

Is Auston Matthews really the ideal captain and leader for Toronto?

Are Stolarz and Woll two goalies who can bring you a Stanley Cup?

Should Mitch Marner and Matthews be separated? Do they have what it takes to win big honors together?

All questions that are regularly asked, but the one that comes up most is whether Marner will re-sign in Toronto or test the free agent market and choose his next destination.

The latter seems to be the more plausible option, and I personally believe that the Leafs need to separate Matthews and Marner to be successful.

Based on whatElliotte Friedman recently said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Leafs have tried to trade him in the past.

The Leafs looked to the Vegas Golden Knights for a trade involving Marner and Shea Theodore last summer.

Elliotte Friedman: Toronto looked at moving Mitch Marner to Vegas last summer for Shea Theodore – 32 Thoughts Podcast
(Note: there were rumours about this last year)

– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 30, 2025

It would have completely changed the Leafs’ (and Knights’) look, and we could have seen a longer run for both teams.

Having Marner alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone is interesting.

On the other hand, the Leafs with a one-two punch on defense with Morgan Rielly and Shea Theodore, that changes a defensive brigade.

And we know that Toronto needs more impact defensemen.

Rielly is very good, but Theodore would still be the club’s best defender.

And we all know: it’s defense that wins championships.

Although the Oilers could prove that having two of the best forwards in the world and only one (very) good defenseman is enough.

I have my doubts, though, because the Florida Panthers team is perfectly built to win the Stanley Cup.

But with Theodore (and possibly more in return for Marner), the Leafs would clearly be a team to watch (for real) in the playoffs and not just in the season.

Overtime

– Caleb Desnoyers scored both of his team’s goals in the loss.

There will be no QMJHL team in the Memorial Cup final https://t.co/EODVqP1JNw

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 31, 2025

– Hard to say no.

CHL players offered “in the six figures” to go to NCAAhttps://t.co/JOvwSVFele

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 30, 2025

– What a story.

Jacob Julien sets up the 4-2 goal late in the third period of the #MemorialCup semifinal. Big play off a draw in a huge moment. https://t.co/iN7CLitcFo

– Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) May 31, 2025

– Seth Jarvis is quite right: it’s extremely difficult to score in the NHL.

“I think just figuring out how to score in this league is one of the biggest challenges.”

Following his second full NHL season coming to an end, Seth Jarvis speaks about the process of learning how to score more pic.twitter.com/xiQDmu6yT0

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 31, 2025

– Read more.

Operations are part of Steve Bégin’s lifehttps://t.co/DpKLYsQOPt

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 31, 2025