By Ankit Kumar

Copyright sportskeeda

The Toronto Maple Leafs started training camp without Mitch Marner, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in July. He signed an eight-year $96 million contract before the move, but it marked the end of Marner’s nine-year career with the franchise.Marner scored 102 points last season, including 27 goals and 75 assists. He also added 13 points in the playoffs. His departure leaves a gap in Toronto’s top six, and replacing him will not be easy. However, the team hopes new additions can help fill the void.Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke about the change on Wednesday, with SDPN’s Jesse Blake sharing his comments on X.”We lost a player, a real good player here,” Brube said. “But we added three to our lineup. What excites me is that I don’t have to hear “core four” anymore.”Toronto’s forward group of Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares was referred to as the “core four.” It’s no longer in place, and Berube’s words showed a fresh focus for the team.The Leafs made important offseason additions, including Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua. These moves will give the team more depth at forward, and Berube will decide line combinations during camp.For Marner, opting for a change of scenery to Vegas was partly because of a chance to win. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, and he wants to bring another championship to the city.”You want to hoist that Stanley Cup, and this team has shown that they can do it,” Marner said in July, via NHL.com. “I’m lucky enough to now hopefully bring in another piece to hopefully bring it back here.”Meanwhile, Toronto will aim to build balance without the “core four” label.Mitch Marner’s family concern was another factor in tradeMitch Marner said in August that family was the main reason he accepted the move from Toronto to Vegas. The forward wanted a calmer lifestyle with his wife and newborn son. He also said Toronto made it hard to enjoy time outside of hockey.”Having the newborn now, my wife and I are very social, we like going out for dinners, we like being out with our friends,” Marner said, via NHL.com. “It was tough to do that in Toronto. We’re looking for a new chapter, a new peaceful way of life to enjoy watching our son grow up outside more, too.”Marner looks forward to playing with Jack Eichel and adjusting to his new team.