Maple Leafs Unveil New Banner Signifying Change - But Two Core Players Left Out
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs revealed a new team banner at Scotiabank Arena to signify their transition into a new era, however two key names are surprisingly absent.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs usher in a new era without Mitch Marner and focused on a more unified and tough identity, it's going to bring in a lot of changes, even more than they already have.
It's also stretched to the arena, where the Scotiabank team had to make some changes with departing members, and that means locker room changes as well as some outside displays.
The Players Featured on the Banner
But one massive change, that being the team banner in front of the arena has a brand new look with the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Matthew Knies front and center, alongside some other familiar faces like Chris Tanev and Steven Lorentz.
the rest of the names that rounded out the display were Jake McCabe, Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, and Bobby McMann.
However two names who were mysteriously absent were Morgan Rielly and John Tavares which is genuinely surprising given their iconic status in the city.
Rielly is the longest tenured player and has been with the team over 12 years, and Tavares has been here since 2018 and just took a massive discount to finish his career here.
Why the Absence of Tavares and Rielly Has Fans Talking
It also seemed to have caught the Maple Leafs fans off guard a little bit as they were questioning the reasons behind leaving out such important figures:
Some fans believe that it might be some foreshadowing to something later down the line this season as well:
The general sentiment around the new banner is that the Maple Leafs did two of their key players and most dedicated members of the team dirty.
There's an argument to be had that the team were a bit disrespectful towards Tavares and Rielly, however there might have been more of a focus on the new faces who are going to make an impact.
Tavares and Rielly are going to be mainstays for a long time, but the excitement over players like Maccelli and Joshua is meant to be a sign that both the regular faces and brand new players are going to come together to bring success.
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