Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has put a timeline on when questions about Mitch Marner need to stop. During his media availability on Sunday, Matthews was asked about the pre-game routine in which both he and Marner would be the last players on the ice during warmups.
When asked if he'd seek a new warm-up partner, Matthews responded:
“I mean... See what happens, I guess. Yeah,” Matthews said. “You got two more weeks, and then we're done with these questions”.
Just two days earlier, Matthews was asked if it was less of a distraction to enter camp without a core player like Marner around, especially heading into the final year of free agency.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I don't think it was really much of a distraction last year, to be honest. Everybody from the start of camp is obviously working towards one goal, coming together as quickly as possible. And I don’t really think any of the outside stuff was a distraction last year,” Matthews said. “And, you know, it's definitely not a distraction this year. And maybe you guys will ask a couple more Mitchy questions here for the next couple of weeks, but hopefully that'll that'll die down here shortly”.
Marner departed the Maple Leafs as part of a sign-and-trade on June 30 with the Vegas Golden Knights. In the deal, the Leafs received forward Nicolas Roy in return, and Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million contract. Marner and Matthews were teammates throughout their entire nine-year NHL careers together until the move.
Mitch Marner’s Agent Preferred Former Maple Leaf To Go Through ‘Dog And Pony Show’ Of Free Agency Instead Of Sign-and-Trade
Mitch Marner was set to become the hottest free agent to hit the market on July 1, 2025, but the former Toronto Maple Leafs forward was moved one day earlier to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a sign-and-trade.
Given how regularly both have played together, another focus this season is on how Matthews will perform offensively, following a year where he wasn't 100 percent healthy and limited to just 33 goals. Newcomer Matias Maccelli has occupied the spot at camp that Marner used to occupy. Toronto acquired the forward in a trade with the Utah Mammoth this summer.
Matthews might not face another Marner question before the regular season opener on Oct. 8 against the Montreal Canadiens. However, he will likely be asked about him again in January when the Leafs meet Vegas on January 15, and agains when the Leafs host the Golden Knights on January 23.
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