Insider Confirms Mitch Marner Facing Pressure From Maple Leafs About His Future
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Mitch Marner has dealt with pressure from Leafs fans all summer, but now he may be facing some pressure of the Maple Leafs' front office about his future.
Last week when training camp opened, Mitch Marner made a statement about his unwillingness to discuss his contract before answering any questions during his media availability. While he noted that he wouldn't be answering any questions about his contract status or the ongoing negotiations, he did mention during an exclusive interview with Elliotte Friedman that aired Sunday evening that he was open to negotiations in season, which was confirmed by the statement his agent made when speaking with The Athletic.
On the 'Leaf Report' podcast on Thursday afternoon, Chris Johnston revealed that negotiations are ongoing and the desire to get a deal done has been pushed more by the Leafs to prevent it from becoming a distraction this season.
"My sense is that he and the team are in a good spot. Now it comes down to a business decision. It feels like the Leafs are more likely to opt for some security here and security in this case would be signing the player. If they let it breathe and play out for the whole year I think it could be a pretty intriguing subplot for the playoffs and everything that's to come at the end of the season.
It feels, to me right now, they're going to extend Marner at some point in time. I don't think it is going to happen before the season but there is definitely a window here to get something done. The way things are going, they're hoping, whether it takes some time or whether it happens in the next 10 days, are they going to be able to find number that makes sense for them?"
It feels, to me right now, they're going to extend Marner at some point in time. I don't think it is going to happen before the season but there is definitely a window here to get something done. The way things are going, they're hoping, whether it takes some time or whether it happens in the next 10 days, are they going to be able to find number that makes sense for them?"
Given that the Leafs had to deal with William Nylander reports until he signed in January of last year, it sounds as though they would rather avoid that altogether this time around with Marner. As Johnston noted, it would be an absolute shock if the two sides agreed to a new deal before the season started, but there could be something coming in the near future. There's really no telling how that announcement will sit with Leafs fans after pleading for him to be traded all summer. The number of years and AAV will determine how the deal is viewed.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 27 | 1833 ANSWERS Insider Confirms Mitch Marner Facing Pressure From Maple Leafs About His Future What will Mitch Marner's next AAV be? | ||
| Under $11M per season | 405 | 22.1 % |
| $11M - $12M | 907 | 49.5 % |
| $12.1M - $13M | 440 | 24 % |
| $13.1M+ | 81 | 4.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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