The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t have a good 5 p.m. hour on Monday.
First, Mitch Marner’s sign-and-trade to the Vegas Golden Knights became a reality. At least they got Nic Roy in return.
Then, Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers reportedly reached an agreement on a contract.
So the Leafs don’t keep Marner, and they don’t sign Marchand in free agency.
All of a sudden, there’s a big gap to fill.
There isn’t a ton out there still.
MORE: Maple Leafs trade for Mitch Marner’s replacement in buy-low deal from Mammoth
Among wings to replace Marner, the two best candidates are Brock Boeser from the Canucks and Nikolaj Ehlers from the Jets. There’s no confirmation that Toronto is linked to either, but they’re the best duo remaining.
The Leafs could also go after veteran Patrick Kane.
Really, Marchand seemed the perfect fit to replace Marner, at least among the available choices. But the Panthers apparently did enough to keep him around as Florida tries to go for a three-peat.
The Maple Leafs, one of the marquee franchises in sports, were left out in the cold.
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