Treliving tabs Marner as 'vital' piece of Toronto Maple Leafs after trade rumours
For nearly a decade, Mitch Marner has cemented himself as one of the faces of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His 642 games played for the franchise trail only Morgan Rielly and William Nylander on the current roster, and sit 18th all-time.
But with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft seemingly headed to free agency for the first time this summer, uncertainty looms about his future with his hometown team.
Multiple reports suggested Toronto asked Marner to waive his no-trade clause for a possible trade for Mikko Rantanen, who ended up going to the Dallas Stars from the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the second trade for Rantanen this season, who was shockingly dealt away from the Colorado Avalanche earlier this year.
In an interview with TSN’s Gino Reda, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving didn’t divulge much on potential contract talks with Marner, but did sing the praises of the Leafs winger.
“As we all know, Mitch has had a terrific year and he’s a vital part of our team… he’s a big part of what we’re gonna try to accomplish the next 14 games and moving on beyond that. And that’s really where all of our focus is,” Treliving told Reda. “We’re going to focus on the ice. Any updates that we have business-wise, we’ll be sure to share them.”
Marner, as you likely know by now, voided a move out of town, with a desire to play out the remainder of his contract with Toronto. He leads the Leafs with 82 points by way of 21 goals and 61 assists in 66 games this season, good enough for seventh in the entire NHL.
Since the trade deadline, Marner has put up two goals and added three assists in five games.
While there’s little Leafs fans can do but wait it out to see if Marner ends up staying in town, Treliving said the team’s focus is going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs while peaking at the right time.
“Getting your game in order and making sure you are playing the very best you can when it matters the most, that’s the most important thing for us,” he added.