Insider confirms that Mitch Marner took his summer training to a whole new level
Elliotte Friedman has revealed that Mitch Marner did far more than just ride his Sea-Doo this summer, putting in an incredible amount of work with some of the NHL's top stars.
A lot of the discussion in Toronto this summer has surrounded Marner's contract status and what the best approach to the situation is, be it a trade, an extension or simply letting him walk away as a UFA next July. Set to enter the final year of his current contract without an extension in place, Marner has spent much of his summer training very hard for what he hopes is a career season.
According to Elliotte Friedman on his latest "32 Thoughts" podcast, Marner is well aware of the pressure that awaits him and is looking to start the season the same way William Nylander did last year before signing his extension back in January.
The best thing for the player and the team is for everyone to come to their senses and find a way to ensure that he stays.
Contract negotiations are never easy. Matthews sees the whole market as fuel to prove he's the best. Nylander has a very thick skin. They had him on the market all summer. He was like 'I'm gonna have a great year and they're gonna have no choice but to sign me,' and I believe deep down that's what Marner wants to happen here.
The agent, Darren Ferris, believes in walking his guys to free agency unless you give him a reason not to. I think he starts the year and we'll see what happens but everyone's going to regret it if he leaves"
Friedman then revealed the latest that he has heard about negotiations. Unfortunately, talks haven't amounted to much, but there appears to at least be a bit of a mutual understanding.
Currently carrying a cap hit of $10.9M into the final year of his contract, Marner is expecting a hefty raise, which fans don't exactly agree with given his disappearing acts in the post-season.
As Friedman noted in the podcast, "always bet on talent", and Marner has a ton of it, so it will be interesting to see just how long this saga drags on into the season.
Source: Hockey ReferenceMitch Marner Stats
| POLL | ||
6 SEPTEMBRE | 289 ANSWERS Insider confirms that Mitch Marner took his summer training to a whole new level When will Mitch Marner sign an extension? | ||
| November/December | 74 | 25.6 % |
| January/February | 54 | 18.7 % |
| March-June | 53 | 18.3 % |
| He won't | 108 | 37.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
