The departure of Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs has opened the floodgates to a wave of stories and revelations that paint a very different picture of his time with the team.

While Marner’s talent on the ice was undeniable, rumors and accusations swirling around his alleged behavior off the ice have ignited heated debates among fans and insiders.

Was Marner truly the demanding diva some claim, or is this just the natural fallout of a high-profile star leaving his hometown franchise?

In recent days, new details have emerged suggesting that Marner’s influence over line combinations and power play positions went far beyond what most fans ever imagined.

With reports of Marner making unusual requests and resisting coaching decisions—especially when it came to his partnership with Auston Matthews—the question of team chemistry and leadership has never felt more relevant.

As the Maple Leafs move forward without one of their most recognizable faces, the full story of Marner’s legacy in Toronto is only beginning to unravel.

What really happened behind closed doors, and how will these revelations affect the team’s future? The answers may surprise even the most devoted Leafs supporters.

Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner

Photo credit: Imagn Images

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner had a lot of requests for the team, and many of them involved players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner continues to get a ton of flak for his alleged behavior as a member of the team.

Now that the forward has left the team for good, there has been lots of discourse about the forward, with lots of relitigation of the past.

According to Anthony Petrielli of Maple Leafs Hot Stove, Marner’s time in Toronto was highlighted by some pretty odd requests that will send some Leafs fans for a loop.

Mitch Marner was a diva for the Toronto Maple Leafs

For instance, when it came to the Power Play, Marner always had to play on a certain side, and wouldn’t allow to be placed anywhere else.

You can track it back to various things, like talks that he would refuse to go to certain spots on the power play. You saw that with how they awkwardly moved him around at times. He didn’t want to play down low. He wanted to play on the half-wall, but the Leafs had Nylander and Matthews, and Marner couldn’t shoot well enough… They did this whole awkward song and dance where he didn’t want to go to certain places.

Meanwhile, there were numerous instances in which the team wanted to move him from playing with Auston Matthews.

However, the message was clear. Do that, and there will be consequences coming from the Marner camp. Needless to say, the guy was not the best teammate.

“I got a message from someone who worked for the Leafs for the majority of Marner’s tenure, just not last year. I was saying, how do they keep playing these guys together publicly because they’re not producing good enough results… and the message was ‘the Leafs will never split them up because Marner will have a conniption if they do.

Now that he is gone, some Leafs fans may just say good riddance. After all, you’re better off not having to deal with this kind of thing.

Only time will tell whether or not being without Marner makes the Leafs a better or worse team come playoff time.