NHL insider urges Leafs to let go of Mitch Marner; names Brad Marchand, Brock Boeser & $17,700,000 Panthers star as ideal replacements

What are the Toronto Maple Leafs going to do about Mitch Marner? On one hand, he's a lifetime Leaf and just truly broke out with a 100-point season ahead of free agency. On the other hand, with Marner as part of the core, the Leafs have done nothing, and Marner came up empty in the playoffs again in 2025.

Marner seems intent on testing free agency and the expectation is that he'll leave the Leafs and that they will let him walk without a big fight. If they do, one hockey insider thinks it's a good idea and has some replacement options.

Chris Johnston listed Brock Boeser, Nikolaj Ehlers, and others on First Up (7:10):

"You’ve got a forwards like Sam Bennett who brings intangibles. You’ve got Tavares and Marner obviously at the top. But pretty quickly, you get into the Matt Duchene, Brock Nelson territory — older players. Definitely effective players that, put in the right situation… but you get a little nervous...

"I think the best approach is if you can take a small step back next year without Mitch Marner. I think we should acknowledge that.

He likes the intangibles that Sam Bennett, the $17.7 million (as per Spotrac) Florida Panthers star, would bring to the table in Toronto. He also noted that Brad Marchand is "lurking" in free agency. He's been the Maple Leafs' mortal enemy, so they could bring him in to prevent any more losses to his team.

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NHL analyst says Leafs will still make playoffs without Mitch Marner

Mitch Marner is a 100-point forward. Any team that loses him is going to get worse unless they can somehow find those points in free agency or the draft. That is something NHL insider Chris Johnston thinks should not concern the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What's next for Mitch Marner? (Imagn)

He said on First Up (8:40):

"I still think the Leafs have the players to be a playoff team. They’ve got their entire blue line already signed. And they’ve got a goaltending duo that performed at a high level this year with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz both signed."

He said the "shell of a good team" is still there with William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and others. They just might take a step back next year before ramping up for a huge push in 2026.

He maintains that signing veterans like Brad Marchand, Patrick Kane, or Claude Giroux would be more "prudent" than replacing Marner with a star or bringing the right wing back.