Insider reveals where the Leafs stand on Mitch Marner

In discussing the "Core 4", Friedman reported that he believes they all want to stay and the Leafs want to keep them all. In addition, Friedman discussed Marner specifically because of how polarizing he is with Toronto fans. "He takes a lot of heat, which I think he hears sometimes," said Friedman of Marner. Friedman also stated that the Leafs have full confidence and belief in Marner to be a great player for them.

Marner faces the added pressure of not only being a superstar and one of his team's absolute best players, but he's also a homegrown, hometown product. The pressure to succeed in the market that helped produce you is certainly a burden at times, and for Marner, the playoffs seem to be when it all comes to a head, unfortunately. Still, even with his mental process sometimes getting in the way of individual and team success, the Leafs appear to be fully behind Marner. With Treliving now at the helm, I'd imagine that he will meet with Marner this summer and try to best assess how to help Marner going forward and try to put the team in the best possible position to be able to get over the hump come playoff time.

Marner has 2 years left on his current deal, so fans should not expect Marner to be going anywhere anytime soon, but the Leafs will face a similar situation with him next off-season when he is eligible to sign an extension. What that number will look like, no one knows, but it could and likely will be north of $12M given that he makes $10.9M currently.