When Mitch Marner left the Toronto Maple Leafs in that sign-and-trade to Vegas, let’s be honest, it shook everything. He wasn’t just any player. He was the engine behind a lot of what made Toronto click. Since then, GM Brad Treliving has tried to plug the gap.

Like, he brought in Dakota Joshua, made some tweaks but none of it really replaces what Marner gave them. It still feels like something’s missing. And now, with the Florida Panthers dealing with serious cap issues, one name is suddenly getting tossed around. Could a 31-year-old Canadian veteran be the surprise answer to the problem? This may be more than just a rumor.

The Florida Panthers are coming off two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final. But instead of shaking things up, they doubled down. How? They are bringing back almost their entire roster. But loyalty like that doesn’t come cheap. Right now, they’re $3.725 million over the salary cap, and that means someone has to go. And not just any player, someone valuable enough to save money, but expendable enough to let go. There’s one name that checks all those boxes, and yes, that’s Evan Rodrigues. He’s on a team-friendly $3 million deal through 2026-27, has no trade protection, and offers exactly what teams want in a playoff-tested, do-it-all forward. According to NHL insider Dan Rosen, teams are already calling. And yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of them. So what makes Rodrigues such a good fit for Toronto?

Rodrigues isn’t just filler for a roster hole, he’s quietly become one of the NHL’s most reliable playoff contributors. Over the past two postseasons, he’s recorded 30 points in 45 playoff games, including 15 in 21 games during Florida’s latest Cup run. He can play anywhere in the top nine, shoots right, and doesn’t shy away from big moments. With Mitch Marner gone and Toronto shifting toward a scoring by committee model, Rodrigues fits the puzzle better than most. He is affordable, postseason-tested and versatile. And in the event you were going to ask yourself whether he is a good fit or the fit. well, the Leafs may not get another opportunity like this during the offseason. However, there is the challenge.

Everyone wants Rodrigues. But why did Mitch Marner leave in the first place?

The trade cupboard of Toronto is not bursting. They also have little to propose that may be interesting unless they can be creative. Treliving might have to get a middle player offense or swing a second round draft choice. And there is where his vision is put to test. Can he build a winner on a thin roster, paying big bucks and without overspending? Provided that he does this successfully, it would prove to be a good trade. Not to mention, yet another competitor is simply one action away. Wondering who there is in the mix? The Leafs are not the only team that is circling Rodrigues.

Even the Edmonton Oilers who have not forgotten the two painful Finals losses to Florida in the past are also reported to have showed interest. They will require playoff experience and depth to support a young-based line-up. The kind of experience Edmonton needs in the middle six would be injected by Rodrigues. Even Chicago Blackhawks, who are still in the early days of constructing around Connor Bedard, could pounce in. And therefore, Rodrigues would be a source of offense, leadership, and value with only 3 million dollars. They may flip him at the deadline in case it does not work out. But, Toronto has the most obvious one, though. It is not a matter of whether Rodrigues will end up a Leaf, it is matter of whether Toronto will do it first before anyone does. But hold on a minute, how come this hole opened in the first place? Why did the Leafs let their star, Mitch Marner, walk away?

“Leaving isn’t easy. This city is where I grew up, where I fell in love with hockey…” Those were the emotional parting words from Mitch Marner. Well, yes, the Toronto native who had spent his entire nine-year NHL career with the Maple Leafs, racking up 741 points in 657 games, including a career-best 102-point season in 2024–25. But despite his superstar status, the Leafs chose to move on. Why?

Well, because, Marner was approaching unrestricted free agency. And rather than risk losing him for nothing, Toronto executed a sign-and-trade that brought back Nicolas Roy. His expected $12-14 million cap hit also posed a problem for a team already stretched thin with massive contracts to Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares. Still, the hole he left behind in the top six is impossible to ignore. Which brings us to the real intrigue: can Evan Rodrigues be the unlikely answer to fill those skates?