The Maple Leafs spent a year searching for a way to move on from Mitch Marner, and now they finally have something that looks like a real answer. It comes with a new look, a couple of fresh faces, and a plan that leans hard on offense.
Toronto lost Marner in the summer of 2025 in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, then spent the offseason trying to patch over the hole he left behind. The replacement-by-committee approach never really took hold in 2025-26, and the season ended as a dismal failure. But after all the turnover, the Leafs are back with a different blueprint, and this one starts with Gavin McKenna.
McKenna is not Marner, at least not yet. But Toronto believes his creativity can help fill the void at the top of the lineup. His vision gives the Maple Leafs something they have not had in their system, and the hope is that he can find Auston Matthews in the smallest pockets of space and make him even more dangerous.
Matthews has thrived with Marner for years, and Marner was responsible for a large share of his goals. Without that setup, Matthews has been left searching.
McKenna changes the equation because he brings scoring touch of his own, while Matthew Knies gives Toronto another playmaker who can handle some of the passing load. Knies, a massive presence on the ice, can create room with his size or power through defenders after a stretch pass from McKenna.
The skill set is obvious enough to get fans buzzing. McKenna is an 18-year-old with the kind of creativity that can turn ordinary shifts into highlight-reel chances, and his growth in skating and defence suggests he is more than just a flashy offensive talent. For Toronto, that is the first piece of the Marner replacement plan.
The second piece may be even more important: Darren Raddysh.
Marner’s value to the Maple Leafs was never limited to five-on-five play. He was a major reason the power play hummed, and Morgan Rielly helped make that unit go as well. But with Rielly no longer part of the first unit, Toronto is looking to Raddysh to help McKenna and Matthews sort things out.
Raddysh brings a different look to the blue line and gives the Maple Leafs a shooter they have not had since the early 2000s. He posted 10 power-play goals and 26 total points on the man advantage in a 70-point season. That could turn out to be a flash in the pan, but Toronto is betting the upside is worth the cost.
The appeal is straightforward: McKenna’s vision, Matthews’ finishing, and Raddysh’s shot give the Leafs a power-play structure that can attack in more than one way. Add Knies as a 6-foot-3, 230-pound force in front of the net and William Nylander as another dangerous weapon, and the unit suddenly looks deeper and more threatening than the one built around Marner. The difference is that Toronto now has a real threat on the blueline too.
Nylander is the other name that could push this group over the top. He does not always get the credit he deserves, but the production is impossible to ignore. Since 2020-21, he has scored the 15th most goals in the NHL, and he is coming off his fourth straight 30-plus goal season and fifth straight 75-plus point season.
There is still another level for him to hit. With Craig Berube out of the fold, the fit that never quite clicked is gone, and Nylander no longer has that burden hanging over him.
He missed 17 games with injuries and had a poor finish at the Olympics with Sweden, but he is healthy now and motivated. His brother just won a championship before him, and with Jim Hiller in charge, Nylander has someone who can let him attack.
John Tavares remains the center on the second line, which leaves Nylander as the offensive driver. That is where Toronto needs him now.
With Tavares getting older, Nylander has the chance to take over more of the playmaking and scoring load himself. If Easton Cowan or McKenna can spring him into space, Nylander could even flirt with 50 goals.
It all comes back to him. But for the first time since Marner left, the Maple Leafs have a plan that actually looks built to work.
In Other News...
Morgan Rielly Trade Twist Just Changed The Leafs Conversation
Morgan Riellys name has quietly become part of a broader Maple Leafs conversation after reports surfaced that his trade preferences were not as geographically limited as first believed. Toronto had been operating under the idea that his list pointed only to Western Conference destinations, but the latest chatter has opened the door to a much different kind of discussion, one that reaches beyond the usual framework of a veteran defensemans movement.
Philadelphia has now been mentioned as a possible Eastern Conference fit, adding another layer to a situation that is still very much unsettled. Rielly also holds full trade protection for the next two seasons, so nothing can move without his say, and Toronto has not confirmed any expanded list of options. For now, it remains a rumor-driven story with no deal in hand, but it is the kind of wrinkle that can change how the Leafs are viewed around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Missed Out On A Forward They May Not Have Fit
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Nashville ended up being the landing spot, but even there the path has gotten crowded fast. Recent offseason additions have pushed Pinchuk further down the depth chart and left his roster spot in question, which only underscores the bigger issue for Toronto: this is the sort of player the Leafs could have considered, but not necessarily the sort they had room to keep. [Read more 🡒]
Two Returning Marlies Are Running Out Of Time To Matter
The Marlies have brought back a pair of depth pieces who spent much of last season in the ECHL, giving the organization a couple of familiar names to sort through as camp and roster decisions loom. One is coming off a productive offensive run in Cincinnati, while the other handled the bulk of the work in net there, and both now get another shot to show they can be more than short-term insurance for Torontos AHL club.
For players in that spot, the margin for error is thin. They need to prove they can help the Marlies right away and, just as important, make themselves useful enough to stay on the radar for future NHL opportunities. The challenge is not just earning a place in the lineup, but doing it quickly enough to matter before the roster picture tightens. [Read more 🡒]