One season on, former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has shared a different perspective on Mitch Marner’s departure, saying the team lost much more than one of its top scorers.
After Toronto’s disappointing 2025-26 season, which ended with the team missing the playoffs and both Berube and general manager Brad Treliving leaving the organization, the former coach reflected on just how important Marner was behind the scenes.
Craig Berube Reflects on Mitch Marner’s Maple Leafs Exit
Marner’s time in Toronto ended on a difficult note, both on and off the ice.
After the Maple Leafs’ Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the 2025 playoffs, his home address was leaked online, and his family received threats. The situation became so grave that he hired private security to protect his wife and his newborn son.
On the ice, Marner was under constant pressure. Even though he recorded several 90-point seasons, the Maple Leafs won only two playoff rounds during his nine years with the team. Many fans blamed him for the club’s playoff struggles, making a fresh start the best option for both sides.
Berube, however, believes Marner’s value extended far beyond his offensive production.
“I thought Mitch was the energy and he brought the energy and the emotion to the game, I thought on a nightly basis. And in practice, vocal guy, chatted a lot on the bench, chatted a lot in practice, brought the energy. If he came back to the bench, he let guys know, pick it up, let’s go. He was great. I really enjoyed coaching him,” Berube said on Rob Simpson’s podcast this week.
When asked whether Marner’s departure meant the Leafs lost not only an elite player but also an emotional centerpiece, Berube didn’t hesitate. “I thought we lost our emotional leader for sure.”
Those comments offer a very different view of Marner’s exit. While much of the conversation focused on his playoff struggles, Berube believes the Leafs lost the player who set the emotional tone every day, both on the ice and in the locker room.
Without that presence, Toronto struggled to find consistency and identity throughout a season that ultimately ended in disappointment.
The trade itself has also come under increased scrutiny. Marner was sent to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade before agreeing to an eight-year, $96 million contract. Toronto’s main return was Nicolas Roy, who was later moved to the Colorado Avalanche for draft assets.
Meanwhile, Marner thrived in Vegas, recording 80 regular-season points before helping lead the Golden Knights on a deep playoff run with 29 postseason points, finishing among the favorites for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
As new general manager John Chayka reshapes the roster around first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, captain Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, Berube’s comments serve as a reminder that replacing elite production is difficult, but replacing a team’s emotional leader can be even harder.
