'There's a Lot Of Noise Involved In All That But We Love Mitchie': Auston Matthews Addresses Mitch Marner Trade Talk Ahead of NHL Draft
Speaking at the 4 Nations Faceoff availability, Matthews was asked about all speculation surrounding his teammate.
LAS VEGAS — The future of Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner continues to be a hot topic around the NHL Draft. Will the forward be moved between now and next season? It's hard to know for sure. But his teammate, Auston Matthews, made sure to avoid the topic when asked it on Friday
"All I'm going to say is we love Mitch obviously. There's a lot of noise involved in all that but we love Mitchie," Matthews said. "He's a great person, great teammate. I can't speak highly enough about him.
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Matthews was in Vegas for the last couple of day as part of the NHL Awards. He was nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, but that 2024 honor went to Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. The star spoke Friday after being named one of 'First Six' forwards for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament which kicks off in February.
Marner is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Maple Leafs as soon as July 1. In his media availability in Vegas on Wednesday, club GM Brad Treliving said he wasn't going to "get wrapped" in the noise regarding speculation over Marner's future.
On the latest edition of the '32 Thoughts' podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said he believed the Leafs were going to extend him some sort of "offer".
Marner, is entering the final year of his existing contract that carries an annual salary cap hit of $10.903 million. The Maple Leafs have identified adding defensemen as a top priority heading into free agency on July 1. After multiple seasons of playoff failure, the club has undergone some change. They replaced Sheldon Keefe with Craig Berube as their head coach. But a change in the team's core could be in the offing.
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