The departure outside the season of Maple Leafs, not the name Mitch Marner – The Hockey Writers Toronto Maple Leafs Latest News, Analysis and more

Without respect for new faces such as Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua, the outdoor season of Toronto Maple Leafs is defined by their departure.

Only four days after the club was driven into game 7 of the second round of the Stanley Cup -Play -offs from 2025 by the Florida Panthers, it was announced that the contract of team resident Brendan Shanahan would not be renewed, so that the era of ‘Shanaplan’ was ended. The early summer was dominated by the separation between the Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner, culminating in a drawing and trade in which the reigning leading scorer of the team with the Vegas Golden Knights countries. Somewhere along the way, important assistant coach Lane Lambert was adopted through the Seattle Kraken to be their new bank boss.

With those rooms (especially Marner) that dominate the headlines, it was easy to miss the less important but still remarkable personnel losses of the organization. Toronto should still be in order with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies and John Tavares in tow, but it is worth mentioning some of the outgoing players while trying to understand why they are no longer at the club.

Pontus Holmberg

Of all players from the schedule of Maple Leafs from 2024-25, who are no longer at the club, Pontus Holmberg is perhaps the largest main scale. The versatile 26-year-old earned the praise of head coach Craig Berube (and even, at some point, A promotion to the second line) For his two -way game and the ability to draw fines, so that his value is demonstrated, even while manages only seven goals in the season. He even saw action in all 13 postseason matches of the team.

To make it confusing, Holmberg was not even an unlimited free agent. General Manager (GM) Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs chose not to expand any qualifying offer to the Swede, which signs a two -year contract of $ 3.1 million with the Division Rival Tampa Bay Lightning in the midst of reports that he was very sought after. Trelivorous has since admitted worries About what Holmberg may have cost the organization in arbitration and whether they could fit it under the cap.

Max Pacioretty

Prior to last season, Max Pacioretty earned a place on the Maple Leafs during a professional try -out in training camp and was signed for a one -year -old deal. The 35-year-old veteran of 939 NHL games rewarded the club with some striking moments in blue and whiteIncluding three play -off goals of the coupling. Unfortunately, the six-fold scorer of 30 goals also remained faithful to his injury-sensitive reputation and he matched only 37 regular season matches.

The fact that Pacioretty has not yet returned to the fold does not seal his fate with the Maple Leafs organization. There is still time for him to sign a one -year -old deal with a low risk as a respected veteran in the dressing room that can still produce when they are healthy. The former captain of Montreal Canadiens proved last season that he had some gasoline left in the tank, so he will probably find an NHL house before he is the opening. Whether that house is in Toronto or not, will probably depend on the schedule and cap situation of the club, and his fit in it.

Ryan Reaves

The departure of a player should probably not be a big news story when that player comes from a season of 35 games, no goals and a measly two assists, but that is proof of the power of personality that Ryan Reaves is. The old enforcement earned a number of fans in Toronto for two seasons by being loud and brash while dropping the gloves occasionally. However, writing was on the wall for the 38-year-old when he was assigned to the Toronto Marlies in March.

Simply put, there was no room for him in the selection of the Maple Leafs and the remaining $ 1.35 million on his contract could be used better elsewhere. Treliving did well to find a house in front of him in San Jose, while he added a valuable defensive depth in 24-year-old Henry Thrun. Toronto will have to find a new face for their pre-game scoreboard pump up video, but the exchange of Reaves for Thrun was a neat company that saved the club $ 350,000 and at the same time won a more useful player.

Marlies Vooruit

Of course, the Maple Leafs are ready to feel the loss of Marner, but let’s not reduce the impact of this summer’s movements on the Marlies. The club of the American Hockey League has lost three Top six scoring leaders in advance From a season ago, Alex Steeves watched with Fraser Minton in Boston, Nick Abruzzan country in Tampa Bay and Joseph Blandisi in Russia. Moreover, Kyle Clifford recently chose Hang the skates And transition to a front office role at the organization.

Steeves had a memorable campaign of 2024-25, which became the leading scorer of Marlies during a 36 goals campaign and his first career-NHL goal was also reduced. The 25-year-old would probably have contradicted a place on the NHL schedule to start the season, making his exit surprising. Although none of Blandisi, Abruzzese or Clifford was expected to play a meaningful role with the Maple Leafs, their absence will certainly be felt in Coca-Cola Coliseum this season. With Blandisi away, who is left to unload the ice as a madman at the end of warm-ups?

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Jani Hakanpaa

Assuming we reached the end of the road for Jani Hakanpaa and the Maple Leafs, then what a curious trip of a year it was. First he was signed, then he wasn’t, then he was again. And all that entire offsean of confusion was two games played, because the 33-year-old defender was limited by the same knee problems that held his signing in the first place.

At the end of the season media availability, treliving aimed the Hakanpaa signature And admitted: “There was always a risk. We took a swing and it didn’t work.” Given that the assessment of the one -year experiment of the club with the Finnish Blueliner, it is very unlikely that we will see him again in blue and white.

Matt Murray

The Maple Leafs (then under GM Kyle Dubas) raised eyebrows when they took over Matt Murray from the senators of Ottawa to strengthen their goalkeepers in the summer of 2022. They pulled another curious response when they seasons after two underwhelming, she Released the Network with the Free Agent Last summer. Three seasons, however, seem to be sufficient, as the often injured goalkeeper signed with Lambert and De Kraken in July.

Murray struggled with injuries and underperformance in his first season in Toronto. In year two he was healthy for all three competitions with the Marlies. He actually played good for the AHL branch of the franchise last season (10-5-4 record with .934% savings percentage and a 1.72 goals against average), but it was not enough to keep it in the neighborhood. With Dennis Hildreby and Artur Akhtyamov ready to take the reins between the pipes with the Marlies, it is still to be seen whether the organization will add even more veteran people behind Maple Leafs Netminders Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll.

Marlies’ Finnish contingent

Earlier we discussed departure from the Marlies under the Forward Corps. That does not even include the hits that the AHL team went on their back -end -and almost all from a part of the world, no less. It was indeed a tough summer if you were a Finnish defender in the Maple Leafs system. Beyond the departing Hakanpaa, Topi Niemela, Roni Hirvonen and Mikko Kokkons have all signed contracts abroad.

Niemela and Hirvonen each received eligible offers from the Maple Leafs, so that the club could keep their NHL rights, even if they go to Finland and Sweden respectively. However, cooking is completely abandoned. Anyway, the fact that all three young people (Niemela and Hirvonen are 23, Kokkons is 24) will play elsewhere next season, shows that the shine came from what was once top perspectives and that Treliving probably did not hold them in the same respect, which they were early in 2019 and 2020 instructions.

It goes without saying that none of these losses bears the emotional weight or the impact on Marner’s ice. But in a city where even fourth line of grinders can be known names, each of these above absences will be felt in one way or another.