The Toronto Maple Leafs are feeling intense pressure to go on a lengthy playoff run this coming season, but Adam Proteau says no player in the NHL is facing as much of a hot seat experience as star winger Mitch Marner.

We’re in the middle of the NHL’s 2024 off-season, and that means we’re continuing THN.com’s Hot Seat Radar feature. In this team-by-team series, we’re examining every NHL team, in reverse alphabetical order, and picking out one player, coach or management member on the “hot seat” – a person with no shortage of pressure to generate positive results or deal with the ramifications. Also, in every team file, we’re identifying a second person who is on the “cold seat” – someone highly likely to remain with their team until further notice.

Every once in a while, we’ll point out an individual in the space between the hot and cold seats, but in the majority of the cases for the league’s 32 teams, we’re focusing on just the hot and cold seat labels.

We began the hot seat radar process Monday and since then, we’ve put the spotlight on the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and the Utah Hockey Club. Today, we’re spotlighting the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Maple Leafs’ Hot Seat: Mitch Marner, RW

Is there a hotter seat than the one currently occupied by Marner? We think not. The 27-year-old winger has seen the heat on him ratchet up every season, and following last year’s letdown in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s a new level of pressure on him heading into 2024-25. 

If Leafs GM Brad Treliving doesn’t find a way to trade Marner this summer, the winger is going to be coming into training camp facing a relentless stream of media questions about his future with the franchise as he enters the final season of his current contract. And if it comes to pass that Marner remains a Leaf beyond the trade deadline next spring, speculation about him will reach new heights until he either signs a multi-year extension or the Buds allow him to leave on the UFA market for nothing (other than the $10.9 million in salary cap space he currently takes up annually).

There’s no question Marner is a star, but in nearly a decade with the Leafs, he hasn’t been a difference-maker when the games matter most. His future in Toronto is cloudy at best, and even if he comes through with another stellar regular season, it won’t matter a lick if the Leafs don’t go on a lengthy playoff run.

Marner may feel unfairly victimized by Leafs fans and media, and there’s some truth to that. But the intense heat would be on him with every organization that happens to enjoy post-season success. He’s got to deliver tangible impressive results, and if that doesn’t come to pass, the end for Marner in Toronto is going to come sooner than later.

Maple Leafs’ Cold Seat: (Tie) Auston Matthews, C; and William Nylander, RW

Matthews and Nylander will be starting new four-year and eight-year contract extensions respectfully, in 2024-25, with Matthews making $13.25 million per season, and Nylander earning $11.5 million per year. They’re both one of the sport’s most dangerous producers of offense, and their defensive play has improved every year. 

The 26-year-old Matthews reached new heights this past season with his 69-goal, 107-point performance, while the 28-year-old Nylander posted his second consecutive 40-goal campaign and added a career-best 58 assists in 82 games. That’s the type of offensive production teams would kill for, and Toronto has not just one, but two (or three, counting Marner) dynamos with the puck.

There’s no chance Treliving sends either Nylander or Matthews packing, and although the Leafs’ team play is the key to this coming season, Toronto management would be forgiven for trading every player on the roster other than Matthews and Nylander. The dynamic duo are locks to be Leafs over the long haul, if not for life. They can rest assured they’re going to be wearing blue and white for at least four seasons, and most likely, many more after that. They’re as secure as any player in the league, and now it’s about rewarding Leafs brass for their belief in them.