Insider Makes Wild Comparable for Leafs and Marner: ‘Take the L and Move On’

The ongoing fallout from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner saga has become so messy that Elliotte Friedman is now comparing it to a nasty divorce and a family breakup.

On the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman said the situation feels like “a divorce” where fans are stuck in the middle.

“Some people support one partner, some people support the other partner, and the Leafs fans, they’re the kids,” Friedman explained. “At some point, if someone doesn’t want to be with you anymore, you’ve just got to take the L and go, ‘Okay.’”

Friedman suggested that clinging to what might have been is only reopening wounds. He pointed to last year’s drama around Mikko Rantanen’s future in Colorado and then the decision not to stay with Carolina as a comparable case of endless speculation, saying it often takes years before the full story comes out. Marner, too, had no desire to go to the Hurricanes. Still, you don’t see them crying over spilled milk. They’re moving on and doing their best to build a contender without both stars in the fold.

Could Be Years Before Truth Surrounding Marner Comes Out

“There were so many conflicting rumors,” Friedman said. He noted that some players believed he was gone the second he didn’t sign last summer, others thought if they had beaten Florida, he might have stayed. Friedman talked about the speculated different amounts offered by the Maple Leafs, while others say the team was warned to trade him mid-season.

“We probably won’t know the truth for years.”

For Friedman, the healthier approach for Toronto and its fans is to accept reality and look forward instead of dwelling on what was lost. The team, he argued, can’t afford to keep re-litigating the breakup.

“The sooner you turn the page, the better off everyone’s going to be,” Friedman said. Otherwise, old wounds just keep getting ripped open.

It’s blunt advice, but Friedman’s message is clear: for the Leafs to move forward — and for their fans to heal — it may be time to stop searching for closure and simply move on. Marner has, but he seems to be willing to take additional shots at the city and the fans. Like in some divorces, the best reaction is simply not to react. Don’t get sucked into that game.

Marner is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. He’ll have pressures of his own that he must live up to. If they don’t win or he struggles in any capacity, that will do more for the Toronto market than taking shots at him ever will.

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