Mitch Marner Has Made his Plans with the Toronto Maple Leafs Official, and They're Heartbreaking

St. Louis-based hockey reporter Andy Strickland shocked social media just moments ago when he revealed that Mitch Marner is officially leaving the Leafs this offseason.

Strickland went on to say what this will mean for the Maple Leafs going forward and how it impacts a guy like John Tavares.

Strickland's report is a bit of an anomaly, considering some of the other big insiders have not reported this. However, Strickland has no reason to lie about this. If he wanted to, he could have said it sooner.

Meanwhile, insiders around Toronto are all speculating about the deals that Marner will get elsewhere. Mitch leaving the team was a foregone conclusion.

After all that has gone down over the last few years, it should come as no surprise that things have ended this way.

Marner was not the playoff performer the team needed him to be. Furthermore, things were just way too toxic between his camp and the front office.

Ultimately, replacing Marner is not going to be easy. With Sam Bennett on the verge of being locked up in Florida, it is hard to imagine the Leafs getting anyone truly significant on their roster.

Only time will tell whether or not the Maple Leafs can get past this and continue to be one of the best teams in the NHL.