The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to remain Stanley Cup contenders after Mitch Marner signed with the Golden Knights. According to Chris Johnston, general manager Brad Treliving could find a way to replace him by partially following the model used by the Florida Panthers.
âIâm sure they want to see better five on five play or more consistent five on five play. Youâre dictated by who your actual players are. You have to somewhat adapt to what you have, but, what are they going to be? Theyâre going to be aggressive forechecking team. I mean, I think everybodyâs trying to be something like the Panthers honestly. Now, thatâs not sustainable.â
According to Johnston, copying the Panthersâ model literally wonât help Auston Matthews and his teammates, but based on Floridaâs success, there are some lessons that could allow the Leafs to finally take the next step in quality without Marner.
Who will replace Mitch Marner with Leafs?
The way for the Toronto Maple Leafs to replace Mitch Marner is by finding the right opportunities to refresh their roster through free agency. Johnston says that was the key to the success of the 2024-2025 version of the Panthers.
âOn some level, you have to stick to what you are. Everybodyâs going to try to be the Panthers now. You know what a lesson from the 2024-2025 Panthers should be? They made big changes. They lost guys that were in their top four when they won the Cup. They didnât just bring back the same team. Obviously, they brought back the absolute core players, but, thereâs opportunity in change. Thatâs what the Leafs have to look for. Iâm not saying to mimic the Panthers, but thereâs now a different opportunity to spend money elsewhere. Letâs see if Auston Matthews can do more to carry even a line on his own at times.â
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