I’ve said this recently, and I believe it – I don’t think you replace Marner.
~monkeypunk
This is exactly it. The Leafs have too many $10M+ guys that all do pretty much the same thing. Some score more, some assist more, but none of them compete particularly hard. We’ve already committed to Willy and Matty, so you’re pretty much stuck with them unless you want to get fleeced in a deal, assuming they waive. (But if you keep asking players to waive, what players are going to want to sign here?).
Mitch is a hell of a player, but his game simply doesn’t translate in the playoffs. Basically, we’re sacrificing Mitch for some gritty grinders that are going to get the puck out of our zone, and keep it in their zone. We’re sacrificing fancy goals, for gritty goals. You simply don’t see a lot of fancy goals in the playoffs, the vast majority are scrambles in front, tips on point shots, or deflections off someone’s taint.