Leafs star Mitch Marner training with Crosby, MacKinnon this offseason
One of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest names appears to be trying to soak up all he can from a recognizable NHL bromance.
In the first 32 Thoughts episode with Kyle Bukauskas, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that Mitch Marner has travelled quite a distance to find his summer training ground with two of the game’s biggest stars.
“He knows this is all hovering around him, and he’s determined to have the best possible summer he can to be ready. He’s in Vail [Colorado] this weekend with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon… he’s looked dynamite at this Vail camp. He’s taken this summer very seriously,” Friedman said.
With Crosby and MacKinnon both hailing from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, the two stars have shared a long bond since the latter broke onto the scene as a teenage star in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads.
Friedman also got into the possibility of Marner signing a new deal with the Leafs, which he was eligible to do as of July 1.
“I don’t know if any formal offers have been exchanged, but everyone knows where everybody stands here,” Friedman shared.
Marner had 85 points in 69 games this year in the regular season but added just a goal and two assists in seven Leafs playoff games. He is heading into the final year of a six-year contract, with a cap hit of $10.93 million for next season, with the possibility of hitting unrestricted free agency next summer.
“The best thing for the player and the team is for everyone to come to their sense and find a way to ensure that he stays,” Friedman added. “But I don’t even want to put a percentage down if that’s going to happen. As we know, the contract negotiations are never easy… I always believe you bet on talent. The negotiations are so hard here and so personal I don’t know the way this is going to end.”
Friedman did caution that the contract situation could get a little dicier than Toronto fans may like, given Marner’s agent history of holding out until the last possible moment.
“The agent here, Darren Ferris, always believes in walking his guys to free agency unless you give him a reason not to,” Friedman continued. “I think he starts the year and we’ll see what happens. But everyone’s going to regret it if he leaves. I don’t care on the playoff stuff, always bet on talent. Always.”
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