1 MINS AGO: Leafs Just DESTROYED the NHL With SECRET Trade _ No One Was Ready!
What do you make of uh kind of the Leaf’s transactions over the last couple of weeks? Yeah, I mean it’s it’s it’s kind of been a weird off seasonason. You know, you see Mitch Marner leave obviously huge hole and it just the way they’ve been doing it. Uh actually, I think some pretty good bets. You know, a guy like Matias Vichelli, we just see Dakota Joshua coming in here, Nicholas Wah, and it feels like, you know, they’re building a better bottom six here. In August 2025, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a bold plan to change the NHL. Right after Mitch Marner left, they started quietly talking about big trades. League insiders say Toronto might land a superstar winger, a veteran center, or a top defenseman this summer. These talks have already sent ripples through the league in summer. Toronto, I think it’s fantastic. They get a readymade player. He’s a kid that plays with a lot of energy and a lot of pride. He’s big. something I know they really cherish in Toronto right now. And let’s just say that for whatever reason, Nicholas Wall plays the third center position or the third right wing position. He’s going to help this team a lot. He’s a very good penalty killer. He’s a character guy. Yes, he’s not Mitch Mner. I get it. But a lot of good things happened for the Leafs today by getting a player for MNER League. In summer 2025, the Toronto Maple Leafs began aggressive trade planning. their goal, fill the hole left by Mitch Mner’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights. Mner signed an 8-year deal in June 2025. He scored 26 goals and earned 88 points in the 2024 2025 season. The Leafs identified a trade style likened to Pete Babando style in NHL history that references a sudden trade that leads to a decisive playoff moment in 1950. Toronto’s front office is seeking a player who can create similar impact. Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars quickly emerged as a top target. He scored 35 goals in 2024 to 2025. Robertson has 151 goals over the past four seasons. He is entering the final year of his current contract and carries a cap hit of 7.75 million. A deal for Robertson would add high offensive firepower. Nazam Kadri came into the picture next. Cadre played with Colorado when he helped them win the 2022 Stanley Cup. In 2024 to 2025, he scored a career-high 35 goals. The Flames signed him in August 2022 to a 7-year $49 million contract. Maple Leaf’s interest exists, but discussions have stalled. Douggee Hamilton, a defenseman with the New Jersey Devils, also drew interest. He brings offensive skill from the Blue Line. His cap hit is $9 million. That complexity makes this deal tough. Toronto is also linked to Nick Robertson, a young forward they recently resigned for one year at $1.825 million. Despite that, he remains connected to trade rumors involving Pittsburgh and Columbus. Some analysts say Robertson could be the odd man out to resolve the Leaf’s crowded roster and cap issues. The 2024 to25 season ended with Toronto topping the Atlantic division at 52264. They held the league’s longest active playoff streak. They lost in the second round in game seven to eventual champion Florida Panthers. The team has not advanced past the second round since 2004. Acquiring an impact player could address that playoff barrier. The term Pete Babando style entered media coverage through Yahoo Sports and NHL reports. It suggests immediate impact, not long-term development. Nick Robertson’s retention suggests Toronto values youth and speed alongside their established core of Austin Matthews. He signed an extension and is staying for the coming season. That move may influence roster flexibility. Every target comes with hurdles. Robertson’s potential deal affects cap and asset management. The Leafs made significant trades earlier in 2025. They acquired Scott Lton from Philadelphia and Ree Johnson from Minnesota. These moves show they are active in reshaping the roster. The NHL trade strategy now shifts into high gear. Toronto’s willingness to explore multiple paths underlines their push to retool after missing deeper playoff success. This plan has already sent shock waves through the league. Media pressure is mounting. Fans await announcements. Other teams monitor Toronto’s cap moves and roster flexibility. In summary, the Maple Leafs are pursuing blockbuster options. Each option aligns with a playoff push. Each has financial and asset challenges. The stage is set for a dramatic off season. The Leafs locked in leadership under newly appointed captain Austin Matthews. The next move could define their path for the next decade. No official deal has been announced as of now, but the Leaf’s plan continues to shape trade talks leaguewide. Other contenders are closely watching. January 23rd, 2026, Mitch Marner is coming back to Toronto, not in blue and white. This time he wears a Vegas jersey. Fans will see him again at Scotia Bank Arena. Some may cheer, others may boo, there may be silence, or worse, what happened last season still hurts. And what fans do that night could change how the whole city remembers him. Mitch Marner played nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He recorded 741 points in 657 regular season games. that included 520 assists and 221 goals. He ranks fifth all time in scoring for the Maple Leafs. In June 2025, everything changed. Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Toronto signed him to an 8-year, $96 million deal, then moved him in a sign and trade. In return, they received forward Nicholas Roy. Roy scored 43 points the season before the trade. Mner’s exit followed a tough playoff loss. Toronto was defeated six to one in game five against Florida. Fans left their seats early. Some booed, others threw jerseys. Marner later said, “Flush it down the toilet.” On June 30th, 2025, the deal became official. Toronto lost one of its most skilled players. On January 23rd, 2026, the Vegas Golden Knights will visit Scotia Bank Arena. That night, Mitch Marner will skate onto the ice as a visitor. It will be his first time back since the trade. The NHL confirmed the schedule. The game falls on a Friday. Some say it should have been Saturday night. Analysts believe a Saturday game would bring more attention, but Friday is now the date. What fans do that night is unknown. Some fans say they will cheer. They remember the points, the assists, the playoff fights, the heart. Others say they will boo. They remember the early exits, the no-show games, the loss of faith. Reddit threads show both sides. Some say he gave everything. Some say he left the team when it mattered most. The building may be loud or divided. Some expect another jersey to hit the ice. EJ Raid, a well-known NHL analyst, said the return will be hostile. He expects booze. He said fans never got a chance to thank him or to say goodbye. Marner wore number 16 in Toronto. He chose number 93 in Vegas. Toronto brought it back for Marner. That decision was rare. Now that number belongs to Marner in another city. His new deal with Vegas pays him $12 million per year. In 2024 to 2025, he scored $12 points. That was his career best. He played all 82 games. They signed four players. Matias Machelli, Dakota Joshua, Nicholas Roy, and Michael Pacetta. Combined, their salaries are lower than Marner’s, but they don’t bring his numbers. Machelli had 45 points last year. Joshua scored 18 goals. Roy had 43 points. Padetta played on the fourth line. Analysts are not sure this makes up for Marner’s output. Craig Barub is now the Leaf’s head coach. He replaces Sheldon Keefe. Barub said the team needs to be harder to play against. He wants more physical play, more defense, more structure. MNER’s return isn’t just a hockey game. Its history, its emotions, its loyalty questioned, its legacy debated. The arena may show a tribute video or it may not. If it plays, some fans may stand, others may turn away. Mner helped build this team’s identity, but he didn’t bring a cup. He came close, but not close enough for some. In his career with Toronto, he made four All-Star appearances. He was named to the NHL’s second All-Star team in 2023 and 2025. In 2023, he recorded a 23 gamepoint streak that broke a franchise record. He played on the penalty kill on the power play in overtime in shootouts, but now he plays for Vegas. His new team has already won a cup. They won in 2023. Some fans ask, did Mner give up? Did Toronto give up on him? The trade was quiet. There was no press conference, no farewell video, just the news drop. Fans and analysts still debate. Was this the right move? Marner’s agent did not comment on the return. Vegas has not released a special statement. Toronto has not confirmed a tribute. Tickets for the game sold fast. Prices increased after the schedule dropped. Inside the arena, security is being increased. Some fear fan disruptions. Others hope for a peaceful welcome. Nick Caprao said this may be the most watched game of the regular season. He said, “You don’t see this kind of return often.” Ryan Reeves doubled down in a second interview. He said, “If they boo him, they’re booing greatness.” That quote spread on social media. Some fans responded, “He was great, but not when it counted. January 23rd is on the calendar now. Mitch Marner is coming back. The arena will be packed. The reaction is unknown, but the tension is already here. No words are being said by the team. No press release from the league. Just a date and a player and a city that remembers everything. Where do you think things started to split off between Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs? He fans are still trying to understand what happened. Mitch Mner is gone. He’s now in Vegas and he’s not quiet. He’s saying things, doing things, and playing like it means something. What he just told Toronto, it’s loud. And what he’s doing with the Golden Knights already has people talking. The message is clear. this team. You don’t replace a Mitch Mner. How do they do without him? Well, yeah, you don’t replace the point production, but obviously I don’t think it’s a bad thing for the Leafs or Mitch Martner to for a change of scenery because they haven’t quite or haven’t gotten over that hump come playoff time and another great fight and battle against the Stanley Cup champion. Mitch Marner is now a Vegas Golden Knight. He used to be one of the top players on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but this summer everything changed. On June 30th, 2025, Marner was traded to Vegas. It was a big trade. The Maple Leafs sent him away and got Nicholas Roy back. At the same time, Marner signed a new deal with the Golden Knights. The contract is for eight years and is worth $96 million. That’s $12 million per year. He didn’t wait long to speak up. Right after the trade, Marner made a post on Instagram. He wrote, “Leaving isn’t easy. This city is where I grew up. Wearing the Maple Leaf was about representing my home.” Marner said his goal was to win a Stanley Cup in Toronto, but that didn’t happen. MNER played nine full seasons with the Leafs. He scored 741 points in 657 regular season games. That’s a mix of 221 goals and 520 assists. In the playoffs, he had 63 points in 70 games. In the 2024 to 25 season, he hit a career-high 102 points in 81 games. Toronto fans were used to watching him create plays. But some fans were also upset. The Leafs hadn’t won a Stanley Cup. They hadn’t even made it past the second round. Every year, the team lost early in the playoffs. Mner along with other top players got a lot of blame. Now in Las Vegas, Mner is starting fresh. He said the trade gave him a chance to reset. He wanted a team with a strong plan. He also said he wanted less stress and more focus on winning. Marner’s move also helped Toronto save money. His big contract was a problem for their salary cap. By trading him, the Leafs made space, but it also meant losing one of their best players. Experts think Marner will play on the top line in Vegas. That means he might skate with Jack Eel and Pavle Dorv. He will also play on the first power play unit that gives him chances to score more and help his team. Matt Martin, one of Marner’s old teammates, talked about the move. He said Vegas is going to be a great situation. Martin said Vegas is a better place for MNER’s personality. The media in Toronto was tough. Every little mistake became a big deal. In Vegas, things are quieter. There’s less pressure and more time to play the game. In Toronto, the fans and media were always watching. Marner had to deal with high expectations every season, but now in Vegas, he can just focus on hockey. ESPN gave predictions. They said Marner could score between 90 and 100 points again. They think his playmaking will help right away. His power play skills will give the team a big boost. Toronto got Nicholas Roy in the trade. Last season, he scored 15 goals and had 16 assists. He played 71 games. Roy is a solid player, but he’s not Marner. Toronto now needs someone to fill that big role. His stats back up his choice. Over the last five seasons, Mner scored 45 points in 357 games. That’s seventh in the NHL. Among wingers, he ranked fourth. He also had 47 primary assists last season. That was one of the best in the league. On defense, Mner played strong, too. He led NHL forwards in takeaways with 56. He was also used on the penalty kill. That means coaches trusted him in tough spots. Vegas will use him in all game situations. They want him to create chances, score goals, and help shut down other teams. They gave him the big contract to be a leader. Toronto general manager Brad Tree Living talked about the trade. He said there’s no Mitch Marner tree out there. He knows it’s hard to replace Marner, but the Leafs want change. They wanted to reset their team, too. That trade also ended the Leafs Core 4 era. That group included Marner, Austin Matthews, John Tiveres, and William Nlander. For years, they were supposed to bring a cup to Toronto, but it didn’t happen. The final message from Marner came when he signed the contract. He could have waited for free agency. He could have tested the market, but he didn’t. He signed fast. He chose Vegas. And that sent a message. It told Toronto that he’s ready to move on. And it reminded fans that sometimes even a hometown star won’t stay forever. Now Marner is focused on what’s ahead. He wants to win. He wants to show that he can lead a team deep into the playoffs. He wants a fresh start. The first step will be his debut in a Golden Knights jersey. It will be in the fall. Training camp will open, then preeason, then the real season. All eyes will be on him. Leaf’s fans will watch from afar. Some will cheer. Some will still be upset. But either way, they’ll be watching. Because when Marner left Toronto, he didn’t just go away. He made it clear he’s not done yet. And his next chapter just might be the biggest one of his career. Certainly, we approached Mitch to engage him um on a contract. Uh as is his is right. uh Mitch and his representative wanted to wait until the year was done and and you know as it became clear and clear to us that that um that potential may not be there, we tried to look at alternatives, right? Um the real reason Mitch Marner left the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t show up in headlines until now. Leaked reports, secret talks, and sudden trades reveal a story that’s hard to believe. It’s not just about money or stats. It’s about what happened behind closed doors. And who knew the truth all along. The details are finally out and they’re worse than expected. You know, I think that the day prior we got offered a trade to go somewhere else. Um my wife was seven or eight months pregnant at the time. And you know, we weren’t really going to go somewhere that uh was maybe just going to be a short stint. We were if we were going somewhere, we were going to sign for an extension. um you know, raise our child there and grow up there and um then we kind of heard that Vegas might be interested in doing a three-way deal. On June 30th, 2025, Mitch Marner was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was part of a sign and trade deal. He signed an 8-year 96 million contract with Toronto. Then they sent him to Vegas. In return, the Leafs got forward Nicholas Roy. At the time, Marner said leaving Toronto was not easy. On Instagram, he posted, “Leaving isn’t easy.” Wearing the Maple Leaf on my chest wasn’t just about playing for a team. It was about representing my home. Marner had played for Toronto since 2016. He grew up in nearby Markham, Ontario. During his time with the Maple Leafs, Mner played 657 regular season games. He scored 221 goals and gave 520 assists totaling 741 points. That’s one of the best records on the team. Things were different in the playoffs. Marner only had 63 points in 70 playoff games. Many fans and experts said that was not enough, especially for how much money he earned. Just a few days after the trade, more details came out. They changed how people saw Marner’s exit on the Cam and Strick podcast. Ryan Reeves, Marner’s former teammate, shared more about the situation. He said fans in Toronto were a little ruthless to Marner. Reeves said Mitchie earned the right to go wherever he wants. He’s dedicated his whole career to Toronto. Reeves made it clear that the pressure from fans was too much. He said people pointed fingers at Marner every time the team lost. That wasn’t the only thing that happened. A report from Strickland said Marner had been thinking about Vegas for over a year. Even when he was still playing for Toronto, he was already talking to teammates about going to the Golden Knights. Some Leafs players knew, some didn’t. But the locker room was clearly split. Toronto’s general manager Brad Trelling has not said much about the trade publicly, but analysts believe he was frustrated. NHL insider Matt Larkin said the Leafs off season was a massive failure. He said they did not bring in enough new talent to replace MNER. Toronto tried to sign players like Nikolai Aers and Brock Bozer. Both signed with other teams. Now Toronto has about $4.9 million in cap space left and no one to fill Marner’s spot on the top line. Nicholas Roy, the player they got in the trade, had 15 goals and 16 assists last season. He is a good player, but not close to Marner’s level. Toronto also signed Matias Machelli. Still, fans and media say the team looks weaker than before. Some Leafs players may have known Mner was leaving long before it happened. At the end of the season, during the exit interviews, William Nlander was asked how he felt about Marner possibly leaving. He laughed and joked about it. But when he was asked about John Tavvaris, his tone changed. He became serious. He called Tavvaris a great leader. The difference in his answers showed something important.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are stirring up the NHL offseason with aggressive trade rumors after Mitch Marner’s departure to Vegas. With major gaps in the roster and a burning desire to push past the second playoff round, Toronto is reportedly eyeing Jason Robertson, Nazem Kadri, or Dougie Hamilton. Each option could reshape their playoff future—and time is ticking.
Reports suggest Toronto’s front office is exploring all paths: scoring power, veteran leadership, or a blue-line boost. With cap space tight and pressure mounting, the next move could define their decade. Will the Leafs pull off a blockbuster before training camp?
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