Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Makes it Crystal Clear He's Moved on From Mitch Marner

For years, the Toronto Maple Leafs had the Core Four, which was a group comprising players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares.

Going into this season, the Core Four has been shaken up as Mitch Marner is now a member of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and will not be returning to the Leafs anytime soon.

Of course, this creates a bit of a headache for head coach Craig Berube, who now has to deal with the fact that he is missing a 100-point player who can turn around your fortunes on a dime.

Today is the beginning of training camp, and there was a conversation between Berube and the media. Here, he was asked about the absence of Mitch Marner and what it means going forward.

The head coach got brutally honest about things, noting that Marner is a sensational player who certainly helped out the team. However, he has moved on from the departure and seems to be happy that the Core Four is no more.

The whole terminology of the Core Four was certainly isolating for those who were part of it and those who were outside looking in. In many respects, the Core Four was cursed.

Now that it no longer exists, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a real opportunity to just move on and forge their own path for the future.

Perhaps the identity of the team changes going forward. Maybe it doesn't. That is the beauty of this season. You don't know what you're going to get.

Only time will tell whether or not this Maple Leafs team is ready for the big time with the Core Four dissolved.