Mitch Marner won't even talk to Toronto Maple Leafs about a contract: report
Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be in the silent treatment portion of what’s looking like a messy breakup between the star and the team.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, the two parties aren’t exactly on speaking terms, with Marner slated to hit free agency next month.
“Marner’s camp is not engaged with [the Leafs]. And I think everybody knows the way this is going to be heading — that on July 1, he’s gonna go out there, he’s going to hit the market, he’s going to pick a team, he’s going to set a contract, and he’s not coming back to Toronto,” Friedman said.
Friedman added the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Vegas Golden Knights as possible teams interested in Marner, who is coming off a six-year deal worth US$10.93 million per season.
FanDuel Sports Network’s Andy Strickland had reported on Friday that Marner would be “playing for a new team next season.”
“Nobody is confirming this, but I think the Maple Leafs were offered one of the meetings too, and another team told me it was kinda funny to them because they’re like, ‘What possibly could be the benefit of a meeting between Marner and the Maple Leafs? They already know everything about each other,’” Friedman added.
Friedman also floated the possibility that Marner could end up signing a four-year deal in free agency, giving him the chance to land another big payday a few years out from now.
Marner has spent his whole career with the Leafs since being taken fourth overall in the 2015 Draft. He put up a career-high 102 points in the regular season this past year, before following that up with 13 points in 13 playoff games. In 657 career games with the Leafs, he’s put up 221 goals and 520 assists.
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