Toronto Maple Leafs fans are feeling that familiar sting again after the team’s 2025 Stanley Cup semifinal series loss to the Florida Panthers. Game 7 at the Scotiabank Arena was buzzing with fans decked out in their Maple Leafs jerseys, ready to cheer on their team at home. But at their home ground, they faced a tough loss with a score of 6-1. And then everything went crazy. Fans were tossing beer and jerseys at Toronto’s bench, and you could really see the frustration on the players’ faces, especially Mitch Marner. He was caught on camera shouting at his teammates, “Wake the f— up,” as he made his way back to the bench.
After the loss, he mentioned, “I’ve always loved my time here. I’ve loved being here. Like I said to you guys the other night, I have been so grateful and, you know, haven’t processed anything yet. It’s still so fresh and losing sucks.” Indeed, Marner has been with the Maple Leafs for 9 seasons now, and every year he’s made it to the playoffs to play some crucial games, but the results just haven’t budged at all. So, Marner is a UFA now, and he still hasn’t signed a contract with Toronto.
Is he actually leaving? We don’t have any confirmation at this point, just some speculations floating around. In the midst of all this, it looks like Toronto could be gearing up for a change in the franchise’s leadership. Sportsnet shared on X that “The Islanders have been granted permission to speak to Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan about an opening in their front office, Sportsnet can confirm.”
Brendan Shanahan, whose contract with the Maple Leafs wraps up at the end of June, has been given the green light to chat about a front-office position with the Islanders. They’re on the lookout for a new president of hockey operations after Lou Lamoriello stepped down. During Shanahan’s time in Toronto, he put together a really talented group, featuring Marner, but he also dealt with some backlash over the team’s struggles in the NHL playoffs.
The Islanders have been granted permission to speak to Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan about an opening in their front office, Sportsnet can confirm pic.twitter.com/hW5tpLkTXl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 21, 2025
Honestly, Marner’s playoff performances over the years have really been tough to watch. In the 70 games he’s played, he’s managed to score 13 goals, dish out 50 assists, and rack up a total of 63 points. A certain Stanley Cup champion coach had a similar take on Marner too.
Mitch Marner’s questionable Toronto future
“You never know until you’re behind the curtain. I can’t fathom the amount of money that [Mitch] Marner, his statistics basically add up to what he should be making. I don’t see how that balances out with his performance in Toronto,” Mike Futa mentioned after Toronto’s Game 7 loss to Florida. This time, Stanley Cup champion coach had some pretty strong opinions about Marner’s contract with the Maple Leafs.
Futa really wanted to point out that the $65.4 million contract is a significant matter, especially when you think about the limited impact the forward has had during the postseason while he’s been with Toronto.
Talking about Marner’s future, Futa mentioned, “Again, he’s a superstar player. He showed some flashes of brilliance throughout his entire tenure here, but it’s gotta be tough. I honestly, I don’t have that. We were talking off the air about this burning jerseys and this ridiculousness. That to me is just so insane, but for a Toronto-born kid to put up the numbers he’s done and really truly embrace, I think, being a Maple Leaf and then to have the lack of success in the playoffs, I think it probably breeds best for him to find himself another home.”
Players like Marner are the real stars of their team. When they don’t perform, it really frustrates both the locker room and the fans. Futa also pointed out that even though Marner has a strong emotional bond with the Maple Leafs, it might be time for both him and the team to consider a change.
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