RICK VAIVE: Mitch Marner's time with Toronto Maple Leafs likely at an end
When I was traded to Chicago in 1987, it was hard to imagine I had played my last game as a Maple Leaf.
Article content
Article content
I have to think that's what's rolling around in Mitch Marner's head before Game 6.
Article content
Hey, I think he's a hell of a player who has averaged 90 to 100 points every year. But the bottom line, if the Leafs lose this series to Florida, is that you have to look at everything. And what myself and lot of people see is a Core Four who've been together eight or nine years and haven't got it done at playoff time.
Article content
Article content
It's the old saying about the definition of insanity, making the same mistakes over and over. Now you have Mitch coming up on a new contract and he wants his turn at big money, around $13 million US a year. But if you're running Leafs, you have to think 'what else could we spend that money on?'
Article content
Article content
You can get a tough right winger who would also be a good fit with Auston Matthews. Maybe you have a few million left over to add another defenceman.
Article content
Right now, Marner holds all the cards. There hasn't been any word on contract talks and I know his agent wants to test the market.
Article content
I honestly believe if he hits July 1 as a free agent, they should let him go.
Article content
Maybe it's going to be best for him to get a change, even though this is home and he has tried hard to make it work. He'll get his money and the team and the fans can look at something different.
Article content
The Leafs are now at the stage where what happens in regular season, with all their scoring records, doesn't matter. It's all about 'what have you done for us in playoffs?' I'm not just talking about 58 years without a Stanley Cup, but 21 years with just two series wins.
Article content
Marner leaving could be just one of many changes we'll see. The difficult part is that Kyle Dubas handed out all those big deals with no movement clauses when he was GM. Think of Marner stopping the trade for Mikko Rantanen from Carolina, a big winger who is a proven scorer in playoffs.
Article content
I would never give those kinds of no-movement deals. At most, let the player give me a list of 10 teams he doesn't want to be traded to. That still gives me 21 to work with. You just can't tie a GM's hands like they are now in Toronto.
Article content
I'm still hoping for the best result in Florida on Friday. The Leafs have to be a hell of a lot better than Game 5, which was pretty pathetic and disturbing. A game that important and there were a lot of no-shows.
Article content
They were out-hit again, which is Florida's M.O. They come at you heavy and Toronto's defencemen will feel that as the series goes along.
Article content
Article content
All-time bad giveaway by Mitch Marner. pic.twitter.com/j1BvdgSts8
— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) May 15, 2025
Article content
The Leafs were below 50% on faceoffs for the first time in a while in playoffs and then came the giveaways, 21 of them, blind stuff up the middle.
Article content
Article content
At the very least, you want to go down fighting.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
Bob Probert's family helps open Tecumseh health care campus in his name
Family members of the late Detroit Red Wings enforcer Bob Probert celebrated what would have been his 60th birthday on Thursday by helping open the Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) Tecumseh campus named in his honour. The Bob Probert Tecumseh Campus offers specialized outpatient programs, including cardiac wellness, rehab outreach, outpatient rehab services and geriatric services, according to a news release from HDGH. Probert's widow, Dani Probert, said the official opening was more emotional than she expected it to be. "Typically on Bob's birthday, we like to celebrate quietly, privately," she said. "The kids and I are sitting with his favourite music and eating all of his favourite foods. And today, it seemed so appropriate to be with the community at an event like this. … I think the community of Windsor-Essex has been so amazing with helping us in the grieving process over 10 years. So it seemed really special to be with the same people after all these years to spend his birthday." Bob Probert died in 2010 of a heart attack at the age of 45, eight years after his retirement from the National Hockey League. A feared enforcer and one-time all-star His 16-year career with the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks earned him a reputation as a feared enforcer who accumulated 3,300 penalty minutes – the fifth-highest total of all time. He also racked up 384 points, including 163 goals, and earned an All-Star nod during the 1987-88 season. For a decade after his death, his family helped organize the annual Bob Probert Ride, a fundraising motorcycle poker run in his honour, to raise money for health care. "The ride has achieved a lot over the years," Probert's daughter, Brogan, told the audience at the opening. "Since that very first meeting, we were able to support the cardiac cath lab on Ouellette, provide exercise equipment to the Petro Family Cardiac Wellness Centre on Prince Road, and now the Bob Probert Tecumseh campus will officially open. The impact that this campus will have on our community is greater than we originally had anticipated. It's incredible." The president and CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare said the campus has already seen around 700 patient visits since its soft opening on March 3. And there's been no reduction in the patient volume at the main campus on Prince Road, a spokesperson added. That demand is prompting the organization to think about expanding, Bill Marra said. "I've been in the public service for 37 years in a variety of leadership roles," he said. "This is one of the most grassroots community-based success stories I've ever been a part of – the family coming together over a catastrophic event, donors from a wide spectrum of corporate citizens, private citizens, a hospital institution, the Town of Tecumseh, organized labour. Think about that formula and look at where we're at today."
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canada's Victoria Hayward, Athletes Unlimited aim for sustainable pro softball ahead of Olympic return
Canadian softball veteran Victoria Hayward has competed through four Olympic cycles — yet she's only played in one. And so as softball returns for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the 33-year-old Toronto native is still taking a big-picture view. The sport has only been on the Olympic program once since 2008, when the Tokyo Olympics included it for the 2020 Games, where Hayward competed. "I think the mission to grow our sport has to be bigger than just doing it for that world stage," said Hayward, who joined the national team as a 16-year-old in 2009 but had to watch the 2012, 2016 and 2024 Olympics from afar. Hayward's mission continues Saturday when she will suit up for opening day of the newest Athletes Unlimited Softball League season. The competition first began in 2020 with a fantasy-style, athlete-centred format — now, it's back for its first go-round as a more traditional, team-focused pro league. "Our goal is to have women be professional softball players and that requires more games, that requires that traditional model and so we're creeping closer and closer toward that and that's something we're definitely really proud of as a league," Hayward said. Hayward was part of the original group of players who competed at a field in Rosemont, Ill., in 2020 in an attempt to drum up interest for their sport ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Since its inception, Athletes Unlimited has expanded to include volleyball and basketball, with both adopting the player-first scoring format. Now, softball has become the first to branch out into the more traditional model, featuring four teams playing 24 games each across 10 cities. Hayward was drafted to a team called the Talons. Former Miami Marlins general manager and longtime MLB executive Kim Ng came aboard as commissioner in April, and one month later MLB announced a strategic partnership with the league. "It's really a testament to all of the work that every generation of professional softball players has done to increase visibility, to really just put our sport on the map in a way that MLB recognizes its value, recognizes its potential and wants to be a part of it," Hayward, who spent three years from 2020 to 2022 on the AU board, said. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league was "really excited" about the investment. "We thought rather than starting on our own and competing, that finding a place where we could invest and grow a business was a better opportunity for us," Manfred said. For Hayward, the partnership represents a massive step toward creating that sustainable pro environment like basketball players have in the WNBA, soccer players have in the NWSL and NSL, and hockey players have in the PWHL. She said AU has received advice from some the WNBA players who spend their off-season in the league. "Once you kind of receive that [MLB] stamp of approval things can really take off, and I think that's really exciting," Hayward said. Hayward added that the league had hoped to start in 2020 with a traditional model, but it was forced to pivot due to various pandemic restrictions. For this season, AU will maintain some of its old model in the form of a season-ending All-Star Cup, a month-long competition in August following the regular season. "To see it come full circle and to have the opportunity to have a team, to be able to create new beginnings and just lay the foundation for it to be built upon is really awesome," Hayward said. Meanwhile, the timing of the MLB investment lands at the beginning of a quadrennial, setting up the sport to create momentum ahead of its return to the Olympics in three years — and perhaps convince Brisbane 2032 organizers that is should be included there, too. Additionally, AU should help athletes stay sharp competitively in advance of that competition, Hayward said. "The athletes within this league are the absolute best of the best and now with a model that we're going to play a lot more games and we're going to be exposed to that high-level competition day in and day out and just be around the best softball players in the world, as a competitor training to be in that world stage at the Olympics, that's all you can ask for," Hayward said. As for Team Canada, Hayward is the lone Canuck registered for this season of Athletes Unlimited. She said she hopes more Canadians will join in future years. But Hayward, who hasn't competed on the national team since 2022, said she doesn't anticipate being part of the Olympic roster. "I'll never say never. A lot can change. As of right now, I do not plan on being part of the national team at that time, but stranger things have happened than for somebody to come out of retirement to compete at the Olympic games," she said. "I would love to be involved in some capacity." She credited former player and current national team head coach Kaleigh Rafter for bridging the gap toward the next generation of Canadian softball players that will strive to build upon Hayward and company's Tokyo bronze medal. "Most people only want to be in when the Olympics are in and I'm really proud of our country for wanting to be consistent and continue to grow and I think then when you get into a cycle when the Olympics is back, I think there's a renewed sense of purpose," Hayward said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Roughriders hold off Redblacks 31-26 in CFL season opener
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the CFL's first game of the 2025 season, but the 31-26 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday was costly. The Roughriders lost four starters to injury, including three in the first 17 minutes. Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker appeared to injure his left ankle; tailback A.J. Ouellette suffered a suspected head injury; and defensive back Rolan Milligan left the game with an apparent neck injury. Offensive lineman Payton Collins was injured in the third quarter of his CFL debut when an Ottawa player rolled up the back of his right leg. None of the four injured Riders returned to the game. The Roughriders dealt with injury issues last season and focused on a next-man-up mentality. Thursday's game took that to another level, and one that head coach Corey Mace expects from his players. "The next-man-up mentality, that certainly that has been our experience in the past, but the expectation is you've got to get the job done," Mace said. "You're on this team; you're a professional athlete. We're not going to change too much stuff up just because somebody else is in there. If you're on the active roster, things keep rolling. I'm extremely proud of the guys who had to step up and double duty, because a lot of those guys also are on special teams, having to suck wind in Week 1." Saskatchewan took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Redblacks, behind the impressive play of quarterback Dru Brown, cut the deficit to 31-26 with four minutes left in the game. Brown, who completed 34 of 41 passes for 413 yards with two touchdowns, had the Redblacks on their own 41-yard line with 1:11 left to play. After an incompletion, Brown was sacked for a 16-yard loss by Saskatchewan's Malik Carney. Facing a third-and-26 situation, Brown connected with William Stanback on a 14-yard completion that turned the ball over on downs. "It sucks to lose," Brown lamented. "I wish it was different but at the end of the day, it's one game. It's a game we felt we could've won. Great teams still thrive in this type of environment and there were some encouraging things going on. "We're on our way. We're not there yet but we'll get there." When Ouellette went down, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon stepped into the void and rushed for 57 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. He also gained 17 yards and one touchdown on two receptions. Betrand-Hudon benefited from the blocking of Samuel Emilus on his rushing touchdown, which gave the Riders a 31-14 lead. "He blocked his tail off the entire game, and he helped me out score a couple of times, so I've got to give props to him. He actually swung me into [the end zone]," Bertrand-Hudon said. It was the second two-touchdown game of Betrand-Hudon's CFL career. He scored twice in a 33-26 loss to the B.C. Lions on Sept. 29, 2023, during his rookie season. Despite some big offensive numbers by Ottawa — Brown's 413 passing yards and Justin Hardy and Bralon Addison with 133 and 112 receiving yards respectively — Mace felt Saskatchewan's defence answered the bell when it mattered. "This is what I do understand about this defence, and it has been this way since even I played — I don't care how many yards, just tell me if it's a W or an L," the coach stated. "As far as the defence being able to stand up when we needed it, to make a big play, yeah, they made them when we needed them." Roughriders starting quarterback Trevor Harris also wasn't concerned about how the victory looked. "It's early in the season and we've got to understand that these are full 60-minute football games," Harris said. "It's tough to win in this league. "Our defence stepped up, our specials did a great job. We're going to be all right. We're going to be a different team when it comes to Week 15 and playoff time and Labour Day. "We're going to be improved from where we are right now. But make no mistake, these wins matter at the end of the year, so a win is a win." Ottawa scored a touchdown on their first possession of the season. The Redblacks drove 87 yards on 10 plays with backup quarterback Dustin Crum reaching the end zone on a one-yard sneak. Brown was seven-for-seven passing for 84 yards on the drive. Harris completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdown throws in the game. His backup Tommy Stevens scored on a one-yard run 13 seconds into the second quarter and Emilus hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Harris seven minutes later to increase Saskatchewan's lead to 14-7. A 17-yard field goal by Brett Lauther with 17 seconds left in the quarter gave the Riders a 17-7 halftime lead. Emilus had an impressive first half with six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. He finished the game with eight catches for 133 yards. Geno Lewis, on an eight-yard reception, and Stanback, on a two-yard run, also scored second-half touchdowns for the Redblacks.
