NHL News: Auston Matthews' Maple Leafs have only one thing in mind after Mitch Marner left Toronto in a controversial trade

Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are entering an uncertain phase without Mitch Marner. Despite losing one of their stars in a trade with the Golden Knights, a report from Chris Johnston indicates that, inside the locker room, the Canadian team is convinced they can win the Stanley Cup.

“The only thing when you get to this stage of Auston Matthews’ career, all he cares about now is winning the Stanley Cup. That is his reason for being a hockey player. It’s the exact same thing for these Leafs’ players. Like even John Tavares coming back to Toronto on the contract he did. He clearly could have made more money elsewhere. He sacrificed that because he wants to win with this team.”

Last season, with Marner still on the roster, expectations were very high, but everything ended in a crushing defeat in the second round of the playoffs against Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers. Now, they will be looking for a different ending.

When did the Leafs last win the Stanley Cup?

The Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup in 1967, defeating the Montreal Canadiens in six games. That victory marked the team’s 13th championship and capped off an era of success in the 1960s.

Since then, however, the Leafs have struggled to return to the NHL’s biggest stage, failing to make another Stanley Cup Final appearance. Now, even after Marner’s departure, the locker room is united in pursuit of that goal.

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“It doesn’t guarantee they’re going to win, but I don’t think there are any issues culturally with the locker room about if it has to be this way or that way. I think these guys are still trying to figure it out.”