The Toronto Maple Leafs miss Mitch Marner and might soon have to look to the trade market to try to and replace some of what he provided them in the previous nine seasons, NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger said on this week’s episode of the “NHL @TheRink” podcast.

Marner left Toronto this offseason through a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. He has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 12 games in the first season of an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value).

The Maple Leafs, 7-5-1 entering their game against the Utah Mammoth at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, Utah16), are third in the League in goals per game (3.62), but 28th in goals-against (3.62) and 30th on the power play (12.1 percent).

Last season, Marner had 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists), including a Toronto-high 33 (six goals, 27 assists) on the power play, which finished 24.8 percent, tied for eighth in the NHL. He was seventh in voting for the Selke Trophy as the League’s best defensive forward.

The Maple Leafs added forwards Nicolas Roy (through the trade with Vegas), Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua while also elevating Easton Cowan from the American Hockey League, but Zeisberger said Marner’s departure has left a hole in the top-six forward group that needs to be filled.

“Myself personally, I’m not surprised. This is what I thought it would be; I thought there would be growing pains and struggles to that end,” Zeisberger told co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke. “GM Brad Treliving said he is looking for a top-six forward, but there weren’t many of those either on the open market other than Mitch Marner, ironically, or on the trade market right now.”

Zeisberger pointed to the power play as a specific area where Marner is missed.

“He was the guy that was the puck carrier, the playmaker, the guy who made those zone entries,” Zeisberger said. “And their power play without him, they’re having a hard time just getting into the other team’s end. So, you can debate all you want about whether they could have kept him, whether they couldn’t keep him, but the bottom line is, they are not a better team without Mitch Marner. And I don’t care how many third- or fourth-line guys, no offense to the guys they brought in…those guys, even when you put them all together do not add up to a Mitch Marner.”

Zeisberger also discussed Toronto’s opponent Wednesday, based on his conversation with Utah general manager Bill Armstrong.

The Mammoth are 9-4-0 entering the game.

“They’re young, they’re fast, they’re exciting, they’re getting good goaltending,” Zeisberger said. “I just like so many things about this team. … They are one of my favorite ascending teams in the National Hockey League right now.”

The episode also features discussions on the growth of the Anaheim Ducks, what Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar‘s next contract might look like, Steven Stamkos‘ future with the Nashville Predators, and what to make of the Boston Bruins.

The “NHL @TheRink” podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.