Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner has been the subject of constant trade rumours, speculation and undue criticism throughout the summer, but he’s blocking out the noise ahead of training camp.
Marner spoke to reporters Wednesday during a designated media day and provided a brief statement, before opening the floor to reporters, stating that he won’t be discussing questions about his contract status.
“Obviously, there’s going to be some contract questions, but I’m not here to talk about that,” Marner said at the Ford Performance Centre. “Like I said in the (Auston Matthews’ captaincy) media availability. I’m very happy to be a Maple Leaf. It’s an unbelievable privilege, but I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the season and getting going.
Mitch Marner opens with a brief statement, says he won’t discuss contract questions and reiterated, before taking questions from media: ‘I’m very happy to be a Maple Leaf’
— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) September 18, 2024
Marner was recently lauded by Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon as he trained alongside the Colorado Avalanche superstar during the summer and was informed of their endorsement, while trying to stay off social media for the better part of two summers. The 27-year-old spoke about his internal maturation over the course of his career with the Maple Leafs and there was a lighter air around the team than in previous years, ostensibly due to a wave of changes made, both at the roster and management levels.
Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, provided the following statement to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel:
“To maintain the integrity of ongoing negotiations, it is essential that these discussions remain confidential and are conducted in a constructive manner. As such, we will not be providing public updates on their status at this time.”
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews came to Marner’s defence, when asked about how his teammate has dealt with incessant criticism over the offseason.
“I think he’s dealt with it great, I think he’s had a great summer,” Matthews said. “With all the noise, you can only control so much. He looks great on the ice, off the ice, and we’re all here to support him as teammates and as a team. I don’t think it has affected him, or it’s going to affect him at all. He’s an amazing person, an amazing teammate.”
Marner wanted to make it clear that he doesn’t want to leave the Maple Leafs and provided a passionate accounting of his lifelong fandom, and how that has evolved, both as a fan growing up in the Greater Toronto Area to becoming a core pillar and arguably one of the greatest players in franchise history.
“Like I’ve stated for a long time, growing up in this area, I’ve always been a Leafs fan. I’ve always wanted this team to succeed and win, to see what it would feel like fan-wise and now being a part of it is pretty special. I’ve stated it a lot of times: it’s obviously a very hard league, it’s a hard grind. There’s another 31 teams out there trying to do the exact same thing, so nothing’s ever easy.
“It’s my home. It’s the place I’ve grown up. I’ve had many, many memories of this team growing up playing Saturday night hockey with my family, in the family room sitting there for hours.”
Marner is entering this season is on the final season of his existing contract and there’s a natural inclination to be curious about his status, while the Maple Leafs pondered every possible avenue in trying to upgrade the roster. Ultimately, Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving decided that retaining Marner was the best pathway to winning, and this may be the last we hear from Toronto’s star winger about his contract status until a resolution is reached.
