Toronto Maple Leafs now miss $96M forward, per Chris Pronger

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to struggle during the 2025–26 NHL season. Former defenseman Chris Pronger believes the team is feeling the loss of Mitch Marner more than expected.

Marner left Toronto last summer after a blockbuster sign-and-trade deal. The winger signed an eight-year, $96 million contract before being moved to the Vegas Golden Knights. Thus ending Marner’s nine-season run with the franchise.

During a recent appearance on the “Missin Curfew” podcast, Pronger explained how important Marner was to the Maple Leafs’ system. When asked if the winger made a major difference, Pronger gave a direct answer.

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“Well, you’re losing a hundred points,” Pronger said. “Yeah. And he was kind of the catalyst in the power play. He drove– a lot of offense drove through him. You know, do they miss him? Yes. He was a good fit. They built their roster around him and Auston [Matthews] and Willy [William Nylander].”

Marner played a major role in Toronto’s attack for several seasons. He ranks sixth on the Maple Leafs’ all-time scoring lists with 741 points.

Pronger also pointed to deeper issues beyond Marner’s departure. He believes Toronto struggles because the team lacks strong defensive commitment.

“I just think the style that they play, it’s not – they’re not committed defensively,” Pronger said. “I think it’s a couple different things. They’re not committed defensively; they make a lot of mistakes in their own zone, so they spend a lot of time in there.”

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Pronger points to Maple Leafs’ struggles

The former Stanley Cup champion also added that Toronto struggles to win loose pucks and quickly transition out of the defensive zone. Without strong defensive play, the team often stays pinned in its own end instead of pushing the pace offensively.

“Similar to Vancouver, they don’t get stops. They don’t – they’re not able to seal guys off quickly, get loose pucks, and then get transition and get going, because they don’t defend well enough. They’re not committed as a group to shut it down.

“They’re just kind of there taking up space, hoping to go the other way and, you know, either circling or doing whatever. And the same thing goes for Edmonton.”