Breaking News; The Toronto Maple Leafs should expect more significant changes.
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Despite another 100-point regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons, eliminated by the Boston Bruins in seven games.
The team fired Sheldon Keefe May 9, then one week later announced the hiring of Craig Berube as the new head coach. The team will host an introductory press conference on Tuesday.
Does the hiring of Berube, who brought the St. Louis Blues their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019, provide enough change for the blue and white? Or could Toronto move on from one of the pieces of the core four, specifically Mitch Marner?
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the Maple Leafs’ offseason in the “Ask DFO” segment and what they expect to happen under a new coaching regime.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Frank, our question is on the Maple Leafs. Does hiring Craig Berube make it any more tempting for Toronto to run it back in 2024-25 and see what the core four can do under a new coach? Or do they still make big changes to their roster?
Frank Seravalli: They have to make big changes — it’s not a choice. President Brendan Shanahan said it in the end-of-year press conference: we have to consider everything, and everything is on the table. I can’t imagine doing this again for a ninth consecutive season.
After spending this much on your core, it makes zero sense to even enter the season where they are now: you either sign him to an extension or you trade him. To start this year in the final year of his deal makes zero sense.
I think there’s a single-digit chance that Mitch Marner is in a Maple Leafs’ uniform in October.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…
This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.
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likely than not. In fact, Seravalli is so confident a trade will take place, that he’s giving a deal a great than 95% of happening. He noted, “I think there’s a five percent chance or maybe even less that he’ll be a Leaf next season.” It’s an interesting development, if only because the Leafs have to get Marner’s permission to make a trade, find a team that can afford him and want to extend him, and find the right pieces to where Toronto is getting the best possible return. This could be a process that drags out all summer, but expect there to be a ton of speculation as to where he winds up, especially as the NHL Draft gets closer. Marner is Not Totally Against a Trade Out of Toronto Host of the Power Play on SXM NHL Network Radio ch. 91, Steve Kouleas was interviewed on NHL Network and said that he’s being told that Marner is “not against a move.” Insiders heard Marner say that he wanted to sign long-term, but he added that people talk in Toronto and that behind the scenes, there is a sense that Marner is not shooting down a trade completely. “It wasn’t an emphatic no way!” He’s not saying no. “Where this leads, I do not know,” he added. Marner is already making good money and he wants a raise. The chances he gets it in Toronto are slim, especially now that the team has come out publicly and suggested it’s time to shake up the core. Kouleas noted that despite a no-trade if the team really wants to move Marner, they’ll find a way. As such, it probably pays for Marner to be more open to the process. By actively getting involved and helping the Leafs get this done, Marner can go where he wants, get the deal he’s looking for, and sign an eight-year extension. Some potential suitors include Anaheim, Nashville, and San Jose due to their cap flexibility.
