"Someone's going to have to leave": NHL insider hints at major move by Maple Leafs in 'coming weeks'

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made several offseason moves since trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30. NHL insider Mark Masters talked about the Leafs roster on Tuesday, saying the team has too many forwards. One of them could be moved to create a roster spot.

"Yeah, it feels like someone's going to have to leave, right?," Masters said, via "First Up. "Like, to create a spot in they they have too many forwards right now, which could be great competition at training camp, right?"

Hockey analyst Brendan Dunlop evaluated Daily Faceoff's projected roster. He mentioned that Nick Robertson, David Kampf and Easton Cowan were not in the projected top 12.

Masters responded by saying this shows who Craig Berube trusts.

"You know, there's no David Kämpf in that lineup that we see, and he was also a healthy scratch for much of the playoffs," Masters said . "It doesn't feel like he's in the plans. You just going by what Craig Berube did in the playoffs last year, and that kind of is instructive to you know who the coach likes, who the coach really trusts."

Toronto added Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Michael Pezzetta this offseason. These moves increased depth, but also created competition.

"When the chips are down, it's a long season," Masters said. "You want the flexibility, but yeah, it does feel like there's another shoe still to drop this summer for the Leafs."

The Leafs finished first in the Atlantic Division last season, but lost in the second round of the playoffs to Florida Panthers.

Maple Leafs GM's DNA comment and expected changes

The Toronto Maple Leafs need to replace Mitch Marner’s scoring on Auston Matthews’ line. Matias Maccelli could take that role or Easton Cowan could step up. However, the team may still add another forward.

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in May that the team’s DNA must change to win.

"There's some DNA that has to change in our team," Treliving said, via NHL.com. "If you keep getting to the same result, there's some DNA that needs to change. That's on me going forward. We've now started the planning, and it's early, for putting a team together for 2025-26."

More changes could be coming before the start of next season. Toronto begins the campaign on Oct. 7, and the next few weeks could shape the final lineup.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez