Why Are Maple Leafs Fans So Casual About Letting Mitch Marner Walk?

While the door is not completely closed on Mitch Marner re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the belief is that he’s leaving as a pending UFA on July 1. If he does, it feels like no one will be surprised. Even more fascinating, as @VinSharman95 pointed out, it’s genuinely baffling how casual some Leafs fans have become about the idea of Marner simply walking away.

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As frustrating as it can be that he’s not produced in the big games and when the Leafs most need it, we’re talking about Mitch Marner here.

This is not some inconsistent, mediocre, sometimes-good NHLer.

Marner is the same guy who logs heavy minutes in every situation — power play, penalty kill, 3-on-3, defensive zone starts. This is the same guy who quietly racks up 90 to 100 points while driving play, frustrating top lines, and anchoring the Leafs’ defensive structure from the wing. He is elite, there is no denying that.

He may not always show up on the scoresheet in the playoffs, but his impact goes far beyond the box score.

And yet, among a chunk of the fanbase, the sentiment seems to be: “Let him go, and let someone else deal with him,” “It’s time to move on,” or “He can’t handle the pressure anyway.” This nonchalance is striking, especially given how central Marner has been to the team’s core.

The Leafs’ Failures Aren’t All On Marner

To be fair, one shouldn’t lay the repeated playoff frustration this franchise has felt at the feet of Marner alone. Marner hasn’t delivered in elimination games. But neither has Auston Matthews, John Tavares, or even William Nylander, all of whom have taken turns being great at times and inconsistent at others.

The fanbase’s anger and disappointment is valid. But is Marner the right scapegoat?

He’s often described as “too soft” or “afraid of the moment,” yet there’s little evidence he wants out. In fact, it’s the organization and fanbase that seem more eager to move on than he does. Some reports suggest that the Leafs made a substantial offer, which he declined. If true, fair enough — but that doesn’t change the fact that letting a 100-point, two-way winger walk for nothing is a massive gamble.

Are Maple Leafs Fans Overconfident About Plan B?

And for what? So Toronto can maybe replace him with Sam Bennett or Nikolaj Ehlers? There is no guarantee that either are seriously going to consider Toronto as free agent landing spots.

Bennett’s a warrior, sure, but he’s never posted more than 51 points (which he did this season). Ehlers is intriguing, but he has had a reduced role in Winnipeg, and it remains to be seen whether he can scale his production if given more responsibility. If these are the fallback options, fine, but what happens if the market creates a bidding war? Are either worth paying $9-$10 million per season if Marner can be retained for $13?

It’s an intriguing question that many fans seem to have already answered via their quick decision to throw the blame at a player well within his right to test the market (but may not want to).

Mitch Marner’s not perfect. But he’s one of the best all-around forwards this franchise has developed in decades. If he walks, Leafs fans might not fully grasp what they’ve lost — until he’s lighting them up in a different sweater.

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