The Toronto Maple Leafs know now is the time to act and fill a big void left behind by Mitch Marner. In hopes of acquiring much-needed help for Auston Matthews and company, the Buds must explore the NHL market. On that note, two teammates of Sidney Crosby on the Pittsburgh Penguins emerge as strong candidates.
There is only a handful of names who haven’t been linked to the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season. As Toronto vies to bolster its lineup after parting ways with Marner, the locker room awaits in suspense for a potential new teammate.
There is one clear gap on the Leafs’ current lineup, and that is in the top-six. With Marner off to Las Vegas, the Buds must address a big elephant in the room. Toronto just witnessed 102 points walk out the front door. Matthews and company will surely want to see at least a share of them return.
On that note, two of Crosby’s teammates could help patch the point exodus that’s shaken up the organization in Hogtown: none other than Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, whom the Penguins have reportedly been shopping—so far, to no avail.
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins looks on against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Wells Fargo Center on January 2, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“[GM Brad] Treliving may still be hunting for a more impactful addition. Either Rust or Rakell could slot in as a top-six piece with a bit more scoring pedigree, pushing one of the other recent additions into a needed depth role. Financially, the Maple Leafs have cap space to work with should they look to bring in another scorer,” Sportsnet’s Sonny Sachdeva reported.
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Clearing up space
One of the main upsides to the Marner trade was on the financial side of the puck. Letting go of Marner allowed Toronto to spend what would’ve otherwise gone into the hometown talent’s bank account on several other contributors instead.
Obviously, Nicholas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli don’t measure up to Marner’s caliber, but their arrivals give the Buds some room to operate. None of the three have recorded a 20-goal season—a feat Marner has only missed twice in his career: in his rookie year and the COVID-shortened 2019–20 campaign.
Mitch Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs on the red carpet during 2024 NHL All-Star Thursday at Scotiabank Arena on February 01, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Regardless, Matthews and the rest of the squad are counting on them to have career years next season, and the three brand-new Leafs are set to earn approximately $3 million less than Marner’s contract alone.
Unfinished business
Nobody in Toronto is pleased with how the last NHL season ended. Losing to the Florida Panthers in seven still doesn’t feel right. Especially after being up 2-0 in the series with a clear shot at taking a 3-0 lead. However, there might not be anyone with a bigger chip on his shoulder than Anthony Stolarz
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The starting netminder was forced out of the lineup due to a concussion in Game 1, and could do nothing but watch as his team was eliminated, and chaos spiraled out of control in The Six—once again.
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Determined to avenge last season’s heartbreak, the Stanley Cup-winning netminder issued a blunt message to his goaltending coach, George Bosak. “Anthony Stolarz has been looking very sharp in workouts,” Bosak said on his social media, via @coach_bosak on Instagram. “The first thing he said to me this summer is that ‘there’s unfinished business on the table’.”
