In a recent interview before last night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, Brad Marchand was asked about re-signing with the Panthers last summer and his thoughts about the Maple Leafs. In one surprising moment, delivered by an uncharacteristically calm Marchand, he mentioned two things, one after the other.
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First, he admitted that he thought the Maple Leafs were playing “the right way” this season, which they weren’t before. Second, he thought it was unfortunate that the Maple Leafs fans “ran Marner out of town.” The question that follows is whether he’s suggesting that running Mitch Marner out of town is the reason the Maple Leafs are playing better.
What Did Marchand Actually Say About the Maple Leafs and Marner?
Before getting into interpretation, it helps to look at what Marchand actually said — because buried in the stop-and-start delivery is a fairly clear train of thought.
Marchand explained that his free-agency decision came down to two teams. Here are his words:
“Toronto was in it. It was between Florida and Toronto where I was going to go. I honestly didn’t think re-signing in Florida was possible, just with the guys we already had and the cap and all that.
But I was serious when I said, with where Toronto is at as a group now, the way they’re competing — they’re competing the right way. That’s something they kind of had to get over, that hurdle.
It’s unfortunate the fans ran Marner out of town. That’s a huge impact on their group. He’s a point-per-game player. Losing a player like that hurts.
Once the opportunity came up to stay here, it was pretty clear where I wanted to be.”
That’s the quote. No grandstanding. No attempt to light up talk radio. Just a veteran circling the issue rather than planting a flag.
The Question About the Maple Leafs That Sits There
So did Marchand say the Maple Leafs are better without Mitch Marner? The answer is: not really. But he did say some things that should make Maple Leafs fans uncomfortable.
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What Marchand is doing—intentionally or not—is placing two ideas side by side and leaving the space between them open. On the one hand, he says this version of the Maple Leafs is playing “the right way,” unlike earlier teams. On the other hand, he says it’s unfortunate that fans ran Marner out of town and makes a point of reminding everyone how big a loss that is.
The Conclusion Marchand Didn’t Make About the Maple Leafs
What he doesn’t say is what people will likely fill in themselves: that the Maple Leafs are playing the right way because Marner is gone. That leap comes from a familiar Toronto narrative that arose with the critique of the Core Four and the push to dump one or the other, which didn’t happen until Marner ultimately ended up with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Mitch Marner was frustrated with the Toronto Maple Leafs towards the end of his time here.
(Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
For seasons, most fans believed that less talent (and less money tied up in that talent) would equal more honest hockey. Less skill meant more heart. It’s a story fans know well, and it’s an easy one to tell when a star leaves and the team tightens up.
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But Marchand never actually makes that claim. In fact, he undercuts it by calling Marner’s departure “huge” and stressing what a point-per-game player brings. What he’s separating is how a team plays from who is on it. Those things are related, but they’re not identical. Toronto might be more structured now. More disciplined. More committed to five-man hockey. That doesn’t mean they’re more dangerous. And that’s a lesson Maple Leafs fans are learning this season.
Playing the Right Way Doesn’t Mean the Maple Leafs Are Dangerous
It’s entirely possible — and very common — that losing elite talent forces a team to simplify. When the safety net is gone, players stop waiting for brilliance and start earning inches instead. Coaches like it. Veterans respect it. Opponents notice it.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews celebrates scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers
(Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
But simplification always comes at a price. Playing “the right way” doesn’t mean you’ve solved the problem. It means you’ve chosen which problem you’re willing to live with. Toronto might now be harder to play against — and less capable of blowing a game open when structure alone isn’t enough. That’s a trade-off.
There’s also a personal layer here that matters. Marchand isn’t speaking as a neutral observer. He’s speaking as someone who nearly walked into this market and chose not to. When he talks about fan pressure and Marner, he’s also explaining why Toronto wasn’t the right place for him. That doesn’t make his comments dishonest. It makes them human.
Marchand also isn’t the first veteran to reach that conclusion. Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn both made similar choices, opting for calmer markets after their time in Toronto, even as they acknowledged what the Maple Leafs could offer: relevance, resources, and a real chance to compete every season. That tension between opportunity and atmosphere is part of the equation here.
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If you take Marchand’s comments at face value, it’s the same dynamic that ultimately shaped Marner’s exit as well: not a lack of belief in winning, but a recognition that the weight of the market comes with a cost not every player is willing to pay.
Marchand Didn’t Say the Maple Leafs Were Better Without Marner
The answer is that Marchand didn’t say the Maple Leafs are better without Marner. What he did — deliberately or not — was leave a gap. And in a market like Toronto, gaps don’t stay empty for long. Fans rush to fill them with meaning, especially when the story already feels familiar.
Whether this version of the Maple Leafs can survive as margins narrow remains the open question. That answer won’t come from January’s effort levels or a veteran’s passing remark. It’ll come when structure isn’t enough — and somebody has to make a play it can’t manufacture.
Can the Maple Leafs, as currently constructed, do that? We don’t know yet. They beat Marchand and the Panthers last night, 4-1, and forced him out of the game after the second period (for precautionary reasons while he deals with an injury). That’s one checkmark in the right column.
