Toronto knew how important Mitch Marner was on and off the ice and bet against replacing him though for Craig Berube it was a huge loss seeing a key leader depart.
When Mitch Marner left town, it was an unceremonious exit as he felt like the city was giving him an uncomfortable atmosphere. He left for Vegas and while his regular season was below average, his playoff production skyrocketed and he was only a few games away from lifting the Stanley Cup.
He was integral to Vegas' playoff push and without him it's hard to say if the Golden Knights would have been able to find themselves in such an advantageous position. He was equally as integral to Toronto's lineup too, and it was clear last year that they had missed his on-ice and off-ice presence.
Craig Berube describes how quiet Toronto got after Mitch Marner left for Vegas
No one seemed to miss that more than Craig Berube however, as the former Maple Leafs head coach had nothing but praise for his former winger.
Appearing now as an analyst and pundit after being let go from the Maple Leafs, he's making the media rounds and giving his thoughts on the NHL landscape.
When the topic of Marner leaving town came around, Berube wasn't shy in giving Marner his flowers and how losing him really left a hole in the Maple Leafs locker room as they were without their 'emotional leader':
I thought Mitch was the energy. He brought a lot of energy and emotion to the game I thought; on a nightly basis, in practice. He was a very vocal guy, chatted on the bench. He was great, I really enjoyed coaching him - we lost our emotional leader for sure.
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There's no doubt that Marner brought a lot of leadership to the Maple Leafs and he was often seen trying to rally his teammates.
John Chayka answered that void with grit instead of skill
Losing Marner's on-ice ability is tough and it can hardly be replicated given how special of a talent he is, but in the locker room the team certainly tried to get a lot more vocal and bring in that unity once again.
Brandon Duhaime will be a great presence in the locker room as someone who can motivate and bring people together. He's always talking, always involved, and he won't be shy about trying to get his teammates unified.
They also added Nick Paul, who is about as passionate as you can get when it comes to playing in Toronto, and he's also someone who won't have issues speaking his mind.
Toronto tried last season to replace Marner with the likes of Matias Maccelli in 2025-26, which while he's a talented hockey player, isn't that motivating presence they needed.
Instead of trying to replicate his offence, the team has turned the bottom-six into a hyper-mobile, physical, and vocal group.
If the team can add one more veteran voice and leader in the locker room like Patrick Kane (who also adds some nice offensive punch too) then you'll have a group of very loud, very motivated players who feed off each other, and when the fans start to see their hard work, get excited and then give them even more momentum.
You're never going to get the level of production that Marner brought because very few in the entire world can do what he does. But his energy can be replaced and so far it's looking like Toronto finally found their voice once again.
Do you think Toronto recaptured the energy they lost with Mitch Marner?
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