The Toronto Maple Leafs have been busy restructuring their team after losing superstar Mitch Marner to free agency. While some fans are rejoicing given the player's postseason struggles since joining the team, it's undeniable that Marner was one of the league's top players over the past few regular seasons. Toronto has plugged the hole with a collection of depth additions, but they still need a top-six forward.
It's possible that this take is a bit premature and Brad Treliving is in the process of acquiring one of those forwards. However, a player to replace Marner doesn't grow on trees and there's no guarantee that Treliving will be successful in that endeavor. If the Maple Leafs enter the 2025-26 season with their roster as currently constructed, it's easy to see them regressing.
Marner's absence will be felt just because of his impact on games. He was a 100-point player for the first time this past season and he is also the catalyst to their dangerous powerplay. Toronto has plenty of scorers in Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares, but not enough people are talking about whos going to be the playmaker on that top powerplay unit.
Speaking of the Leafs' scorers, Matthews will feel the effects of losing Marner from his wing. He has been reluctant to accept a change on that top line, but he has no choice with his longtime linemate out of the organization. There's a good chance that Nylander will get the call-up, which could be a dangerous line, but then they lose a considerable amount of depth down the lineup.
Tavares and Nylander were a great fit together, and the Swedish star has been able to keep the aging veteran young and productive. If Nylander moves to the top line, we can also expect a considerable regression for Tavares, depending on who they have to play with him on the second line.
So, the Maple Leafs lose Marner's 100 points, and maybe they lose 10-15 of Tavares' goals from this past season. All of a sudden, that could change Toronto from the top team in the Atlantic to the second or third spot, or even a wild-card berth. Boston Bruins fans are hoping that it could mean a fall out of the playoffs all together, but I'm not ready to say that's going to happen.
The best-case scenario for Bruins fans is a first-round exit, which becomes a more likely scenario as their seed drops in the playoff race. It would give the Bruins as high of a draft pick as possible from the Brandon Carlo-Fraser Minten trade, and possibly the chance to add an impact player.
The last time the Maple Leafs traded the Bruins' first-round picks, they moved into the top ten and top five, selecting Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton. It'd be a hilarious outcome if the Bruins fleece the Leafs again by taking Minten and acquiring their first-round pick in the year they experienced a regression.
Bruins fans likely already hate watching the Maple Leafs since the rivalry heated up in the last decade, but this year they have even more of a reason to root against the blue and white. Let's hope they don't fall too far, as the pick is top-five protected. A top-15 selection is good enough to aim for, considering the Bruins will likely pick in the top half of the first round with their own draft pick.