Why the Maple Leafs should keep the core four one last time

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Graham Montgomery
May 28, 2024 (9:46)

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It is now seeming more likely that the Toronto Maple Leafs may keep Mitch Marner, leading fans to share their own arguments for the move.

Mitch Marner has consistently been in trade rumors since the Leafs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs yet again, once again to the Boston Bruins in seven games. Just today, NHL insider David Pagnotta linked Marner to the Blackhawks, Stars, Golden Knights, and Predators.

Keep an eye on Chicago, Dallas, Vegas, and Nashville if Mitch Marner agrees to a trade.

However, recent reports suggest the team has not actually discussed the possibility of trading him yet. In fact, Marner was just spotted having lunch with the Leafs new head coach Craig Berube.

📸: Mitch Marner and Craig Berube seen having coffee earlier this morning. 💙👀

Berube is the key part of the argument for why the Leafs should keep Mitch Marner around at least one more year. The Hockey Writers' Rupert McDonald makes an interesting argument as to why the Leafs should give the core one last chance.

While Maple Leafs fans may not be open to the idea right now, keeping Marner, along with the entire «core four» intact, may be the best decision for Treliving to make. Through his five seasons in Toronto, Keefe was often criticized for not being hard enough on his top players, which seemed to result in them not developing that winning mentality. Under Berube, that will be far different.

Why shouldn't Berube get a chance to coach the core-four? Could a different voice not unlock successful playoff hockey? The last time the Leafs' core players made the playoffs under a different coach was 2019 under Mike Babcock. So it seems reasonable that they might just click better with a different coach leading them. Such a move would be controversial though, as many Leafs fans do not believe changing the coach is a big enough move. Either way, it will certainly be an exciting offseason for the organization.

Source: TheHockeyWriters
Maple Leafs Should Keep Core Four Intact With Berube in Charge