It looks as if the Marner saga will continue to live on as the superstar winger was not moved ahead of or during the NHL Entry Draft as many had speculated was a possibility. Marner carries most - if not all - of the leverage in any possible deal with a full no-movement clause and as we get closer to Monday's free agent frenzy, there's a good possibility that he remains a member of the Maple Leafs through the season.
While newly-hired head coach Craig Berube doesn't have managerial powers like Brad Treliving, his word is as good as gold and based on his assessment of Marner as a player and a person, we could be seeing another year of the core-4 together after all.
Now of course, Berube could be saying that just as a general assessment of the player. He could also just be saying something like that to divert attention away from more falsified reports or rumours. Nevertheless, the worry that a lot of fans had that Marner and Berube would butt heads can be quelled for the time being.
Marner is arguably the biggest name on the trade block and he has occupied a large amount of chatter from insiders since their elimination from the post-season. With 194 goals and 639 points in 576 games across 8 seasons with 3 years where he topped 94+ points, it would be a huge loss for the Maple Leafs regardless of the return and Berube makes note of that with his recent comments.
Marner also has great underlying analytical numbers with an above average CF%, CF% rel, FF%, and FF% both in all situations and in even-strength situations. He's turned into an elite penalty killer, is an above average player off the puck, and has seen over 21 minutes of ice time in the last 5 seasons. Berube can work with that and his system fits Marner's game like a glove.
