5 Toronto Maple Leafs who need to step up in Mitch Marner’s place

1. Zach Hyman, C

Zach Hyman made his season debut for the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night against the New York Islanders. Hyman had been missing from Toronto’s lineup since the team’s playoff loss in April, after having surgery to repair a torn ACL, and his inclusion back into the Maple Leafs’ lineup should provide a much-needed boost.

Hyman has 115 points in 251 NHL games played in his young hockey career, but has been a major part of the Maple Leafs’ core since his debut in 2015-16. The Maple Leafs turned to Hyman on Wednesday night to fill Marner’s role in the top six, though the forward did not produce any points in Toronto’s 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders.

Hyman is likely the Maple Leafs’ top choice to replace Marner in their top six, though the situation will probably be fluid should the forward get off to a slow start after his injury. Hyman had a career-high 21 goals and 41 points in 71 games last season, and his inclusion back into Toronto’s lineup should provide a spark while Marner is out.

The Maple Leafs face an uphill battle thanks to Marner’s injury, and an increasingly competitive Atlantic Division, and they’ll have to hope that depth players in their system have what it takes to step up over the next month to keep the team in the playoff hunt.