Toronto Maple Leafs take to the ice infront of the home crowd at Scotiabank arena ahead of Game 7 of second round NHL hockey playoff action against Florida Panthers, in Toronto, on March 18.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
The smell of playoff disappointment still lingering in the air, the Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to confront the future on Tuesday as the players assembled one final time for locker cleanouts before going their separate ways for the summer.
The multimillion dollar question, as it has been all season, surrounded the free-agency fate of two of their biggest stars – Mitch Marner and John Tavares – who are both set to be available to the highest bidder on July 1.
The 34-year-old Tavares said that he had positive conversations earlier that morning with both head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving about his future with the team.
“I’m very optimistic that it can work out where I’m back,” said Tavares, coming off a season where, freed from the obligations of being the team captain, he was able to net 38 goals, the joint second-highest total of his career.
Marner, who recorded the first 100-point season of his career in 2024-25 with a 102-point campaign, wasn’t quite as buoyant, defaulting to the past tense when he was asked if he wanted to be a Maple Leaf in 2025-26.
“I’ve always loved my time here,” he said. “Loved being here.”
Marner admitted he was “devastated” by the way the season ended, with Sunday’s 6-1 rout in a home Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
But after being drafted fourth overall by Toronto in the 2015 draft, and spending his entire pro career in Toronto, the all-star winger waxed lyrical about his hometown and its beloved hockey club.
“You feel the love and the passion of this city, and you’re forever grateful for that,” he said. “It’s one of the best cities to live in in the world, and I’ve been forever grateful to not just grow up here, but be able to wear this Maple Leaf and be a part of the history and this team.”
Marner added that he hadn’t yet had any conversations with his wife about what their future might hold – and where that future might be. As a player with 741 points in 657 regular-season games, and another 63 points in 70 playoff contests, there will be little shortage of suitors for the 28-year-old winger who earlier this year set up Connor McDavid for the championship-winning goal for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Certainly others in the locker room are well aware of what Marner brings to this team, both on and off the ice.
“Teams are always dreaming of having a Mitch Marner on their roster,” said Max Pacioretty, who seemed uncertain of what his own future might hold, having lived away from his family the entire season. The 36-year-old, who was playing on a one-year deal with the Leafs and chipped in with some big playoff goals, said he will take some time to talk things over.
Another key contributor is also set for a new contract, with left-winger Matthew Knies, who put up a career-high 29 goals and 58 points playing on a line with Marner and Auston Matthews most of the year.
The 22-year-old American, who will be a restricted free agent and is set for a hefty raise from his current US$925,000 salary, accepted that he may be subject to an offer sheet from another club. He was nothing but definitive about his immediate future.
“I want to be here. I want to play here,” he said. “That’s all that matters to me.”
Both Knies and Matthews confirmed that they were playing injured during the playoffs, but neither elaborated on what exactly their ailments were.
“Definitely a tough year physically,” Matthews said of a year that saw him score a career-low 33 regular-season goals. “But I’m confident with some time off and just going through my own process and stuff like that, treatment and everything, I’m really confident I’ll be back 100 per cent next season and nothing to worry about.”
Meanwhile, goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who was replaced in Game 1 of the Florida series after taking a blow to the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett, confirmed what most had expected. He did indeed have a concussion, but said that he was fine now.
A lot of the discussions on Tuesday were centred around the pressure that comes from playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and whether that is detrimental to a team’s chances of winning the Stanley Cup.
Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk said if this current Leafs squad wasn’t playing out of Toronto, and “dealing with all the crazy circus stuff outside of it, they’d be an unbelievable team and such a hard team to play.”
Defenceman Chris Tanev, fresh off completing his first season with the Maple Leafs, said he didn’t feel like playing in Toronto was any different than playing in other Canadian markets, having played for Vancouver and Calgary previously.
“I’ve played in Canada for 14 and a half out of 15 of my years, so there’s pressure and it comes with the territory of being in a country where hockey is the biggest sport,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s anything to do with why the team hasn’t broken through.
“We played an extremely good team that were the Stanley Cup champs, and they had a lot of structure and patience to their game, and that was what put them over the top in that game.”
Pacioretty, who has previously captained the Montreal Canadiens, said it was a privilege to play for a fan base that truly cares.
Meanwhile, head coach Craig Berube countered that there is pressure everywhere in the NHL, but added that the only pressure that matters comes from teammates.
Summing up the season, Berube said that the team had got away from its structure during Sunday’s Game 7 loss, allowing Florida to capitalize on its chances and ultimately pull away from the Leafs. While he admitted that was something he and his team would work on, he added that he thought this team isn’t far away from getting to the next level.
“I really liked this team,” he said. “I think this team is a very good team. To get over that hump we have to learn from this Game 7 here going forward, and we will learn.”
Are you cheering for the Oilers as Canada’s team now?
First the Habs, then the Sens, and now the Jets and the Leafs are out, too. The Oilers are the only Canadian team left standing in the NHL playoffs, and we want to know if you’re all in on Edmonton. Have you always been loyal to the oil? Are you setting aside old rivalries in hopes the Oilers can bring the Stanley Cup to Canada? Or would you rather an American team hoist the Cup – again – over a Canadian team who’s not your own? Tell us in the form below or by emailing audience@globeandmail.com with “NHL Playoffs” in the subject line.