3 questions facing Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Toronto Maple Leafs:

1. How will the Maple Leafs replace the 102 points of Mitch Marner, who is now with the Vegas Golden Knights?

It certainly won’t come from one player. Marner is an elite scorer and his production will have to be filled by a group effort.

Yes, Toronto did bring in three forwards to bolster itself up front. But even if you add up the 2024-25 point totals of Dakota Joshua (14 in 57 games), Matias Maccelli (18 in 55 games) and Nicolas Roy (31 in 71 games), their combined total of 63 points is still 39 shy of what Marner put up last season.

General manager Brad Treliving said the Maple Leafs still are in the market for a top-six forward but won’t make any rash decisions on that end. He suggested a move could come via the trade market during the season.

2. Can captain Auston Matthews bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024-25 season?

Given Marner’s departure, there will be even greater attention placed on Matthews to provide an offensive spark.

The 27-year-old missed 15 games due to injury last season and still posted a respectable 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games, but will be looked upon to return to his form of 2023-24, when he scored an NHL career-high 69 goals.

One positive note is Matthews said he did not require offseason surgery for the undisclosed ailment that plagued him last season.

Of course, with Marner gone, the question then becomes: Who plays on the wing with Matthews and Matthew Knies? That stands to be one of the more intriguing battles come training camp.

3. Is this the year Nicholas Robertson takes the next step?

The Maple Leafs certainly need it to be.

If they don’t trade him, that is.

Toronto signed the 23-year-old forward to a one-year, $1.825 million contract on Aug. 2 and will be looking for him to regain the form that saw him score 55 goals in 46 games with Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019-20, his first season after being selected in the second round (No. 53) of the 2019 NHL Draft.

In 156 games with the Maple Leafs, he has 56 points (32 goals, 24 assists) and at times took undisciplined penalties last season.

Treliving said he still sees promise in the hard-shooting Robertson.

“He’s still a young player, he’s still an evolving player, but he’s got a skillset and he shoots it in the net,” Treliving said. “That’s a good skillset to have.”