Toronto Maple Leafs’ Offseason Departures Not Named Mitch Marner – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

With no disrespect to new faces like Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason has been defined by their departures.

Just four days after the club was ousted in Game 7 of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers, it was announced that team president Brendan Shanahan’s contract would not be renewed, thus ending the ‘Shanaplan’ era. The early summer was dominated by the divorce between the Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner, culminating in a sign-and-trade that saw the team’s reigning leading scorer land with the Vegas Golden Knights. Somewhere along the way, key assistant coach Lane Lambert was hired by the Seattle Kraken to be their new bench boss.

With those departures (particularly Marner) dominating the headlines, it was easy to miss the less significant but still noteworthy personnel losses from the organization. Toronto should still be just fine with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares in tow, but it’s worth noting some of the outgoing players while trying to understand why they are no longer with the club.

Pontus Holmberg

Of all the players from the 2024-25 Maple Leafs’ roster who are no longer with the club, Pontus Holmberg may be the biggest head-scratcher. The versatile 26-year-old earned the praises of head coach Craig Berube (and even, at one point, a promotion to the second line) for his two-way play and ability to draw penalties, demonstrating his value even while managing only seven goals on the season. He even saw action in all but one of the team’s 13 postseason games.

To make matters all the more confounding, Holmberg wasn’t even an unrestricted free agent. General manager (GM) Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs opted not to extend a qualifying offer to the Swede, leaving him to sign a two-year, $3.1 million contract with the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning amidst reports that he was highly sought-after. Treliving has since admitted concerns over what Holmberg might have cost the organization in arbitration and whether they could fit him in under the cap.

Max Pacioretty

Ahead of last season, Max Pacioretty earned a spot on the Maple Leafs on a professional tryout in training camp and was signed to a one-year deal. The…