Marner is entering his final season of his current six-year, $65.4 million contract that holds a no-movement clause for the 2024-25 season.
Marner is entering his final season of his current six-year, $65.4 million contract that holds a no-movement clause for the 2024-25 season.
The Mitch Marner discourse continues to circulate.
In light of the offseason fully underway for 30 of the 32 NHL teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves involved in perhaps the most riveting storyline the summer has to offer, what to do with forward Mitch Marner.
In the latest news, the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli discussed the route he believes the club will opt to take in the coming weeks on the newest episode of The DFO Rundown – a couple of weeks removed from his comment stating he believes there’s a five percent or less chance Marner is back in a Leafs uniform next season.
“I know what his (Marner’s) camp has said and I’m not doubting them at all and their ability or interest to hold firm on the full no move. It’s just that I think the Leafs are going to make a play and they’re going to basically back them into a corner over the next three weeks that says, Mitch, it’s been great, but we’re moving on. Whether it’s now or eight months from now, your time is up.”
This comment came five days after Leafs general manager Brad Treliving stated he wouldn’t move the star forward for the sake of moving him.
"We’re not going to do play-by-play on it. We’ve got to look at every possible way for our team to be better," Treliving said. “Mitch controls a lot of this whole thing. If there’s a way to make our team better, we’re going to do it. But we’re certainly not going to make a trade just so we can pound our chest and say, ‘Look, we’re different,’” Trelviing told The Athletic's Pierre Lebrun.
Marner, a Toronto native, has made his intentions clear, and that is to start the season with the Maple Leafs. The forward has one year remaining on his current six-year, $65.4 million contract that holds a no-movement clause for the 2024-25 season. Despite the tension, Marner is eligible to sign an extension with the organization on July 1.
The situation over the winger is as clear as mud. Discourse continues to swirl across the league and has simply become a game of cat and mouse. To put it frankly, Marner has all the cards regarding his immediate future, with any trade needing to go through him and his camp. In terms of “backing them into a corner”, that may not be the best course of action considering Marner can play out his final year in Toronto and walk in free agency come July 1, 2025 – leaving the Leafs coming up empty-handed.
Marner finished with 26 goals and 59 assists for a total of 85 points in 69 games throughout his eighth season as a Maple Leaf in 2023-24.
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