The summer is heating up but we should exercise caution when it comes to news and rumours, especially when it involves the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s with this caveat that we can proceed further, as it relates to Mitch Marner. Marner is eligible for an extension on July 1 and after a tumultuous playoff series against the Boston Bruins, he’s been widely rumoured to be on the trade block. Toronto’s star winger was ranked as the top trade target on Daily Faceoff’s trade targets list and his every move is being examined carefully.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman stated on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that it wouldn’t be a particular surprise if the elongated Marner discussions carry into the fall, while noting that he doesn’t fuel rampant speculation surrounding the 27-year-old.
“One of the things a few people have told me is not to be surprised if this plays out over next season with Marner in Toronto,” Friedman said. “This is such a delicate conversation between player and team because everyone is determined to look like a winner here.”
Marner recorded 26 goals and 85 points in 69 games and though his defensive impact wasn’t nearly at the Selke-finalist level he displayed in 2022-23, he was the focal point of Toronto’s penalty kill, while providing elite offensive impact. During the first-round loss to the Boston Bruins, Marner’s offense effectively dried up, while being tasked as the primary defender on Boston’s star forward David Pastrnak. In a heated Game 4 loss, William Nylander and Auston Matthews appeared to take umbrage with Marner, a situation that all parties downplayed immediately.
Marner told reporters during the team’s end-of-year media availabilities that Maple Leafs players are often viewed as gods and that he wants to remain in Toronto. That decision very well could be out of his control, although Marner met with head coach Craig Berube, ostensibly in an effort to get to know each better. It’s a long summer ahead and for the time being, the Mitch Marner saga doesn’t appear that it will be resolved imminently.
