Maple Leafs Urged to Fill 'Big Hole' Before It's Too Late

Maple Leafs Urged to Fill 'Big Hole' Before It's Too Late originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are running out of time to fill the void left by Mitch Marner, who was part of a sign-and-trade deal involving the Vegas Golden Knights right before the start of free agency on July 1.

The urgency has only grown after Toronto struck out on multiple top-six targets in free agency, including the two best players outside of Marner.

Nikolaj Ehlers, a player the Maple Leafs pursued, signed a six-year, $51 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. Brock Boeser, another target, chose to re-sign with Vancouver Canucks despite receiving a higher annual offer from Toronto.

All of the above has led NHL insider Mike DiStefano to believe the Leafs can’t afford to wait much longer if they want to make up for Marner's exit.

"The Maple Leafs need to prioritize a top six forward for next season."

Tatti, Feschuk and Al's Brother hand out their hypothetical deals for the Maple Leafs in trading for a forward on the roster. #LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/GStZQbBjNb

— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) July 4, 2025

“Obviously, that’s a big hole, right, for the Maple Leafs, and they’ve got to fill that Mitch Marner hole,” DiStefano said Friday on TSN’s "OverDrive". “Matias Maccelli is a nice piece. But that’s not gonna replace 100 points. That’s not gonna replace your top penalty killer, the guy who controls your power play.”

With few top-line wingers left unsigned, DiStefano said Leafs general manager Brad Treliving will need to fix and improve the roster via the trade market.

“So they’re going to have to get it in the trade market,” DiStefano said. “I’m curious to see what Brad Treliving has up his sleeve to make that placement.”

The Leafs acquired Nicolas Roy in the Marner deal with Vegas, but his 31-point output won’t fill the offensive gap. 

Ultimately, DiStefano stressed that a top-line forward to help Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies must arrive before it's too late and the Leafs run out of options.

The Leafs still have $4.9 million in current cap space, but with the lack of top-tier players available in the open market, it's fair to assume they will need to chase trades in order to acquire that type of talent.

Related: Maple Leafs Get Bad News on Possible Reunion with Flames Center

Related: Mitch Marner Cites Two Key Factors in Choosing Golden Knights Over Maple Leafs

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.