During his media availability with reporters on Wednesday, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said the team is still actively looking for a top-six forward to replace the role vacated by star winger Mitch Marner.
“It's not been from a lack of trying. There's not a lot of them out there that everybody's willing to hand over to you, right? So I think today is no different than yesterday and the day before,” Treliving said. “You're always looking to try to improve your team, right? It was, I think league-wide, it was a slower summer”.
A theory suggests that the lack of player movement this summer was not only due to teams having enough cap space to keep their players, but also a result of confusion over the effective dates for new long-term injured reserve and salary cap rules. As part of the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, the league did its best to close all loopholes related to long-term injured reserve while also imposing the salary cap in the playoffs where the 20 players on the ice cannot exceed the upper limit of the cap. The extension of the CBA goes into effect beginning in the 2026-27 season, but it was only two weeks ago that the NHL and NHLPA agreed to start enforcing the new roster rules for this upcoming season. The lack of clarity explains why teams were hesitant to make moves.
Why The Maple Leafs’ Best Chance to Replace Mitch Marner Will Come At The 2026 NHL Trade DeadlineIt’s been a quiet August for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and unless something unforeseen happens before training camp, the team’s roster could head into camp as it is currently constructed. This means there is no direct replacement for Mitch Marner, who departed the organization in June in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
As a result, the Leafs didn't have many options and may now have to look for Marner’s replacement either internally or through a different approach.
One of those possibilities was theorized by TSN’s Darren Dreger on Tuesday when he went on TSN Radio, saying he wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs threw their hat into the ring for forward Dillon Dube.
“I heard there was some noise about that,” Treliving said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Treliving and the Leafs put their hat in the ring" @DarrenDreger made his season debut on #First Up and told us that #LeafsForever are potentially interested in Dillon Dube. Would you like to see Dube on the Leafs? Let us know! 👇 pic.twitter.com/9jW72myI9H
— First Up (@FirstUp1050) September 15, 2025
Dube was one of five players acquitted on sexual assault charges stemming from a gala in 2018, as a member of Canada’s World Junior hockey team in 2018. Treliving signed Dube to his last NHL contract as a member of the Calgary Flames back in 2021.
“We're not focused on that right now. We're focused on the 73 players we've got here right now and sort of figuring out where that fits,” Treliving said.
“Let’s all just be clear. There's special circumstances around those players. You'd have to be very comfortable. At the end of the day, it hasn't been a focus of ours right now. The league has put in some guidelines of when those players are eligible and all the rest of it. But you'd have to be very comfortable”.
Following the acquittal, Dube, along with four other players charged in the case, were given parameters by the NHL whereby they would be permitted to sign a contract no earlier than Oct. 15 and be permitted to play in the NHL no earlier than Dec. 1. So it’s easy for the Leafs to not be focused on a player like Dube since that option is a month out.
There’s also a question of if Dube would actually be what Toronto is looking for. At times in 2023, Dube was used in a top-six role alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm, but his usage fluctuated. Before taking NHL-mandated leave from the game, he was used in a bottom-six role.
Unless he comes really cheap and the Leafs are still struggling with the chemistry of existing players to play on the top line that will consist of Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, it’s hard to see where there’s enough benefit for Toronto to take the risk on the player.
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