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New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
The Mitch Marner UFA villainy rankings: Which destination would hurt Leafs fans most?
Mitch Marner's run as a Toronto Maple Leaf is all but over, with all signs pointing to his departure as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That reality raises all sorts of questions, including how it came to this, whether a breakup is really the right move for either side, and whether this all could have been avoided. But the more pressing question right now is: Where does he wind up? Advertisement James Mirtle took a crack at that question a few days ago, ranking all 32 potential landing spots from most likely to maybe to probably not. If we're being honest, James was probably being kind on the 'probably' for that last group, none of whom seem like realistic fits. Still, almost half the league appears to at least theoretically be in the running, which you'd expect for a player with as much talent and upside as Marner can offer. Great. But all that analysis is leaving out the most important part of any great drama: the villain. If Marner truly is going to betray a Toronto fan base that never had a bad word to say about him – don't search any social media, just go with it – then he might as well embrace the heel turn. Really kick Leafs Nation through the barbershop window, you know? There may even be a very small minority of you out there in other fan bases who'll be rooting for it to happen. OK, so let's figure this out. Today, we're going to rank Marner's potential destinations based solely on how much it would twist the knife on his former team and its fans. I've used Mirtle's list as a starting point and taken all the teams that he ranked as having at least a quasi-realistic shot at landing the best UFA the league has seen in years. That leaves us with 16 candidates; let's count them down from least to most painful for Leafs fans. You knew they'd be one of the first teams to show up, right? After all, I've been pushing them as your second favorite team for most of the last year. Their long-suffering fans certainly deserve a few wins, and after last summer's Johnny Gaudreau tragedy, it's impossible not to wish for some joy in Columbus. The team almost delivered it with a miracle playoff push before falling just short. If Marner wanted to try to be the final piece of that feel-good puzzle, who could root against him? Advertisement The Mammoth are one of several teams on this list that would make it hard for Marner to play the old 'I just want to win a Cup' card that UFAs love so much. But after nine years of being ground down in Toronto, going to a brand new market that would probably be happy to have a legitimate star in town would be completely understandable. They're two very young teams headed in the right direction, and he wouldn't have to hear about playoff disappointment for at least a few years because the Sharks and Ducks would be happy just to be there. Both markets are also just about as far away as you can get from Toronto, which might be a big plus for Marner. (And for Leafs fans, who might find it easier to deal with his inevitable 2026 Art Ross win when most of those points come in the middle of the night.) Hey, where else is he going to get the chance to play with a generational No. 1 pick in his prime? Right, sure, fair enough, but where is he going to get to do that without having waffles thrown at him? The third California option shares a lot of the pros and cons of San Jose and Anaheim, with a bit more big-market appeal and a little less win equity for down the road. The Kings should probably be grouped in there with the Ducks and Sharks, unless you're one of those pathetic lunatic fans who're still somehow holding a grudge about Wayne Gretzky's missed high stick in 1993. So… yeah, L.A. is ranked here. I said we wouldn't count the teams in Mirtle's 'probably not' category, and we won't, at least individually. But hey, surprises happen. Nobody thought Gaudreau was headed to Columbus until the deal was signed, so we have to keep the door open to an unexpected landing spot. And if that were to happen here, I think most of the destinations would be fine. Other than Montreal, and maybe Ottawa, and probably also Pittsburgh just because of the Kyle Dubas discourse, none of Mirtle's long-shots would be especially painful. And any lingering hurt would at least be slightly mitigated by having Marner throw us a curveball. Advertisement Oh good, more tax rate discourse. Thanks, Mitch. It's not hard to see the appeal of going to a team like Colorado, where Marner could basically slot right into Miko Rantanen's old spot in the lineup on an established Cup contender. In a sense, this would feel like a concession on Marner's part, where he was throwing in the towel on ever being The Guy on a championship team and instead offering to slide in as a distant third in terms of his importance on the roster. But we've seen that before in various sports over the years, including with this very team, and a ring is a ring. In a sense, Detroit would be a weird option because they don't seem to check any of the boxes we think of as being attractive to a big-time UFA. There's little in the way of elite talent to play with. There's no clear path to a championship anytime soon. They don't have palm trees. And while it's not Toronto, it's still an Original Six market with a frustrated fan base that can be tough on its stars. Presumably, Steve Yzerman could do a better sell job than I just did. But if Marner landed in Detroit on a mega-deal, you could forgive fans for concluding that this was just all about the money all along. (And to be clear, that's a perfectly valid reason to sign somewhere. It's just a little tougher to sell as a feel-good story.) Look man, we get that the nonstop nitpicking about your playoff performance probably wore on you, but that's no reason to sign with a team that isn't going to make it again for a decade. I'm not even sure which scenario would be more infuriating: Marner somehow convincing Leafs management to once again open the vaults on yet another above-market mega-deal (for Toronto fans), or him signing a hometown discount deal in Toronto while confessing that he never wanted to leave in the first place (for everyone else). Let's just say it doesn't sound like we'll have to worry about it. But if it ever did happen, it would be a good day to stay off social media. I'll be honest, I went into this assuming the Hurricanes would end up as the top-ranked team on the list. After all, we know the Leafs and Hurricanes talked about a deadline deal involving Marner and Rantanen. According to reports, Marner was approached about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause to go to Carolina, and declined to do so. Advertisement If he were to decide, just a few months later, that he wanted to be a Hurricane after all – but to do it in a way that left the Leafs with nothing to show for it, instead of with an all-star replacement – then we'd have a near-perfect storm of spurned fan base fury, right? Well, maybe. It would be an easy narrative to steer into, for sure. But then you remember one small detail: When he turned down that deadline trade, Marner's wife was seven months pregnant with their first child. Was he really going to uproot his family in that moment, or leave them behind while he headed off to Carolina? Would you? That doesn't mean the Leafs were wrong to approach Marner with the possibility (and let's hope nobody in his camp is dumb enough to actually try to float that ridiculous messaging out there). But no matter how badly you may want to paint Marner as the villain for how things are ending in Toronto, it seems like a stretch under the circumstances. I've still got the Hurricanes reasonably high on the list, in part because they check some of the other boxes and in part because the 'what if?' factor of a Rantanen trade would linger well after the details were largely forgotten. But the reality is that a soon-to-be first-time dad made the right call, the same one any of us would have made. It's hard to see how it would work under the cap… unless, of course, Marner decided to take a discount to play on an established winner. That would be his right, obviously, but wouldn't go over well with Leaf fans after he basically held the franchise upside down and shook it until every nickel fell out back in 2019. Watching him finally realize that leaving a bit of cap space for his teammates is a good thing would be a nice groin-kick for Toronto fans. We could pretty much cut-and-paste the Vegas entry here, except the Lightning are also a division rival with a decent chance of running into the Leafs in the playoffs soon. Speaking of which: If and when Marner faces Toronto in the playoffs, do you think he breaks Darryl Sittler's 10-point single-game record in the opener, or does he wait for Game 7? No. Absolutely not. Advertisement Look, it's one thing to fail in the playoffs. It's another to concede defeat entirely, running up the white flag and signing with the team you couldn't beat. Fleeing the Toronto pressure cooker is understandable, but not if it's to go eat Dairy Queen with Brad Marchand. Mix in the tax situation – they don't have income tax in Florida, did you know that, Canadian fans don't bring it up often – and this would be Sting joining the NWO levels of betrayal. It would also be incredibly risky for Marner, since if he joined a Panthers team that's won the conference for three years running and they took any kind of step back, he'd get the blame. Don't do it, Mitch. Nobody wins here. (Except the Panthers, and they do enough of that already.)
National Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
HAVE YOUR SAY: Share your thoughts about the Maple Leafs off-season
Article content Time to have your off-season say, Leafs Nation. Article content We know it's going to be a summer of change with the Maple Leafs. Article content As general manager Brad Treliving said during his end-of-season availability, the Leafs, in losing in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Florida Panthers, didn't meet expectations. Article content The regular season was a different story. In the first year with coach Craig Berube in charge, the Leafs finished with 108 points — the third-most in team history — and won the Atlantic Division. Article content Article content
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Justin Bieber Had a Classy Reaction to Maple Leafs Loss
Pop sensation Justin Bieber is a massive Toronto Maple Leafs fan and has been for his entire life. That made Sunday night quite disappointing for him. Bieber has made no secret of his Leafs fandom, prominently rooting them on throughout their run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He even stayed back and watched the Leafs in the playoffs while his wife, Hailey, attended the 2025 Met Gala without him. Advertisement On Sunday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Bieber was in the house alongside his wife, Hailey. Unfortunately, the game did not go the way he had hoped. The Maple Leafs fell to the Panthers in a 6-1 blowout as Florida punched its ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals while eliminating the Leafs from the playoffs. While it was undoubtedly a disappointing night for Bieber, he had a classy response to the loss in a post on Instagram. View the original article to see embedded media. "I don't remember a time in my life when I haven't been obsessed with the leafsssss," Bieber wrote in the caption of his post on Instagram. "This year we made it farther than we have in so long and im happy about that" Advertisement "I can be patient cuz I know this is the team to do it," Bieber added. Bieber's positive attitude was heavily praised in the comments. "I hope all these smiles and positive energy make headlines," one fan wrote in the comments of Bieber's Instagram post. "bro is more loyal than most leafs fans," someone else added. "Thanks for representing us Ontarians," another fan wrote. "Good fan!" someone else added. "Bro keeping it classy with the caption," another person commented. Bieber will obviously be supporting the Leafs just as hard next year.
National Post
15-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Coach Craig Berube to angry Maple Leafs fans: 'Believe, like our team believes'
Article content Booing. Article content And when the fans were done showing their displeasure during Game 5 on Wednesday night, they streamed toward the exit doors at Scotiabank Arena long before the final horn sounded. Article content If the passion unites all in Leafs Nation — and that includes the players — the club has little choice but to accept fans' reactions to their horrid play in a 6-1 loss against the Florida Panthers. Article content Defenceman Morgan Rielly, the longest-serving current Leafs player, understands. Article content 'It's tough, but they have the right to do what they want to do and, for us, we need to play better,' Rielly said on Thursday. 'We expect to have a team that is going to go out there and win and compete, and when that doesn't happen, everyone's upset.' Article content What would coach Craig Berube say to a fan base that is overflowing with negativity following the Game 5 debacle? Article content Article content 'Believe, like our team believes,' Berube said. 'I think that's all you can do. I get it, I do. They're fans. They pay good money to come see the game. Article content 'They want to see the results. It's just part of the game. I'm not focused on the fans. I'm focused on our team.' Article content Defenceman Brandon Carlo, the only other Leafs player made available on Thursday at the Ford Performance Centre before the team flew to Florida for Game 6, has had only a couple months of experience in Toronto after he was acquired from the Boston Bruins in March. It has been long enough for Carlo to get a grip on what drives the club's massive group of supporters. Article content 'It's a passionate fan base,' Carlo said. 'That's one of the greatest things of playing here and being a Maple Leaf, is having fans that are behind you like that. There are going to be ups and downs. Article content
National Post
11-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
What unites Maple Leafs fans despite decades of losing?
Article content Whether suffering from blue-and-white disease or not, the Maple Leafs fan base is undeniably among the most passionate and loyal in the National Hockey League. Article content Article content Whether the Buds win or lose in their playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs Nation will likely forever remain intact. Article content Article content The longevity of the storied franchise, which has won 13 Stanley Cup championships but precisely zero since 1967, can't hurt for starters. Article content So says Craig Hyatt, associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines. Article content 'The Leafs have been around for over 100 years, with a loyal fan base that is transferred from generation to generation,' Hyatt said in a wide-ranging synopsis of the franchise ahead of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. 'For many families in English-speaking Canada, specifically southern Ontario, Leafs fandom is a family legacy passed down like a family heirloom.' Article content For instance, families might bond over watching the Leafs take the ice during the weekly Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Hyatt said. Article content 'You learn all the rituals, traditions and stories — the Legend of Bill Barilko or of Darryl Sittler scoring 10 points in one game — that get passed onto the next generation of fans,' the resident expert said. 'If mom and dad cheer for the Leafs, you cheer for the Leafs and breaking that cycle would almost be like betraying your family.' Article content The Leafs have long asked their fans to be patient. Playoff success has been next to non-existent in recent years, or more accurately decades. In fact, when the Leafs ousted their Battle of Ontario rival Ottawa Senators in Round 1, it marked just the second time since 2004 that Toronto has advanced to the second round. Article content Article content Article content But as Bob Dylan once sang, the times, they just might be a-changin'. After winning the Atlantic Division title by finishing the regular season with 108 points, the Leafs find themselves in contention in 2025 as they aim to erase the longest active Cup drought among NHL teams. Article content 'Because they were so awful for so long, they got high draft picks with the goal of developing those players into superstars to become a contending team,' Hyatt said. 'There is now a lot of excitement in southern Ontario as Leafs Nation thinks their dreams are finally going to come true.' Article content Hyatt's colleague at Brock, fellow associate professor of sport management, Olan Scott, said casual and new fans alike have joined the fray, for various reasons. Article content 'A bandwagoner is often disparaged as someone only being a fan when things are good, but it's also just fun to have something to talk about with friends,' Scott said. 'Sports are like a social glue that brings people together. Following the game and the progression of the series, for a moment, takes the focus off some of the other geopolitical things happening in the world. It's a reprieve for people who watch and enjoy it together.'
