Elliotte Friedman floats intriguing ‘what if’ on Mitch Marner’s Maple Leafs future, linking it to Stanley Cup loss

The Toronto Maple Leafs would have re-signed Mitch Marner this summer if the club had gotten past the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. That’s the idea NHL insider Elliotte Friedman floated during the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.

Friedman explored an alternate reality in which the Maple Leafs won Game 7 against the Panthers during the episode. He posited that if the Leafs had advanced to the third round against the Carolina Hurricanes, the outcome would have been different for Marner and the club.

He stated:

“There are other players who feel that when Marner didn’t sign last summer that the writing was on the wall. My position is this: If they beat Florida in the second round – which they should have done – I don’t see how Mitch Marner isn’t in Toronto.”

The comments echo the belief that the disappointing playoff exit in 2023-24 precipitated the events that unfolded this summer. The painful loss to the Panthers this past postseason was the final nail in Marner’s coffin in Toronto.

Friedman added:

“I could be totally wrong. It’s happened maybe once in my 55 years of existence that I could be totally wrong. But you tell me if I’m nuts, Kyle. I just don’t see a way if they beat Florida that Mitch Marner doesn’t find a way to re-sign in Toronto, and the Maple Leafs don’t find a way to re-sign Marner.”

In Friedman’s alternate universe, the Maple Leafs make it to the third round, potentially the Stanley Cup Final, allowing the club to keep Marner following what was largely deemed a successful season.

That was not the case sadly. Marner found himself part of a massive sign-and-trade deal this summer as part of the fallout.

Nylander believes Marner didn’t want to leave Maple Leafs

Marner will get a chance to start over in Vegas - Source: Imagn

The crux of Friedman’s comments regarding the Maple Leafs and Marner stems from an interview William Nylander did during last week’s European media tour. Nylander was explicit about Marner’s commitment to remaining in Toronto during the interview.

Nylander stated:

“I don’t think he was ever thinking of leaving ahead of time. I actually asked him during the season, and he said he was concentrating on Toronto. I didn’t want to press him on that and let him be because it was obviously on his mind, but his play was focused on helping us. Then I asked him after the season, and he wasn’t sure.”

While the comments are open to interpretation, they outline how Marner wanted to help the Maple Leafs win. The way events transpired in the end steered the situation toward the outcome it had.

That’s why Nylander’s comments support Friedman’s theory. Fans may never really know, unfortunately, what motivated Marner and the Leafs to part ways.