Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews talks about the potential departure of Mitch Marner after their devastating Game 7 loss, saying he's 'like a brother' to him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs once again are out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs earlier than anticipated, losing 6-1 to the divisional foe Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the 2nd round.
The Panthers are now on their way to their 3rd straight Eastern Conference Final, while the Maple Leafs are now in offseason mode.
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Much of the focus now is going to be on the future of pending UFA forward Mitch Marner with the club; he was asked about if he thinks he had just played his last game in a Toronto uniform.
I don't have any thoughts right now. Pretty devastated with what just happened. I've always enjoyed this team and this city, like I've always said.
His longtime teammate Auston Matthews was also asked about if he thinks Marner may be finished in Toronto, and responded by saying he has nothing but love for him.
He's like a brother to me, to all of us. I think we're a very tight-knit group. We love him to death. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Both Marner and Matthews were held pointless in the devastating loss to the Panthers, and their performances are being called into question once again of not being able to get it done in crunch time.
Matthews scored only once in the series, while Marner had only an assist in the last 4 games of the series. Marner also went viral on social media for screaming at his teammates during a stoppage in play.
Neither player was much of a factor for their club in the deciding Game 7, leading to further speculation that the famed 'Core 4' of Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares could soon be split up.
