“Maple Leafs: From Cup Contenders to Underestimated Underdogs?”

With star forward Mitch Marner leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Vegas Golden Knights this summer, Toronto has been left to fill a large hole in its roster. Marner was responsible for a lot of offensive production over the past few years, and losing him hurts this team.

The Maple Leafs already entered the offseason trying to improve the team following another early playoff exit. The front office has done decently to replace Marner, but things haven't exactly gone the way that the team may have hoped.

With the Maple Leafs roster looking a little shaky, the team has dropped in terms of being seen as a true contender. Sara Civian of Bleacher Report ranked Toronto as the ninth-best team in the league within a Stanley Cup title contenders list.

"Again, the Leafs aren't returning an improved roster on paper after losing Marner to the Golden Knights and failing to replace his point production on a sparse free agency market. We'll see how they're doing at the trade deadline, and it should be a big year for Matthew Knies, but this year could be a step back before a step forward type scenario," Civian wrote.

There is still time for the Maple Leafs to improve the overall roster, but the clock is ticking with the offseason slowing down. Toronto still wants to add another top-six forward, but it remains to be seen if the team will be able to make the move happen.

The fans in Toronto have already had their patience tested, booing the Maple Leafs off the ice as they were eliminated in the postseason. If the front office doesn't make some more moves soon, things could get very testy in Toronto this season.