Insider provides a surprising update on the Mitch Marner situation

A trusted NHL Insider has provided a troubling update regarding Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to Chris Johnston of TSN, the Leafs are expected to run it back once again with the "Core 4" before letting Mitch Marner walk in free agency next summer.

The Leafs missed the opportunity to avoid a summer circus this season by not trading Marner or William Nylander last off-season before their no-movement clauses kicked in. Now that Nylander has a shiny new extension (8x$11.5M), and John Tavares has said he isn't going anywhere, Marner became the target of much trade speculation.

Will Marner be traded? Will he want to leave? Will he get an extension? Will he walk as a free agent? Those four questions have and will continue to circle the Leafs until a definitive answer is given or until training camp starts.

As the first week of free agency closed, TSN's Chris Johnston was on The Steve Dangle Podcast yesterday, where they discussed free agency and the Leafs' moves at length. Johnston was asked at one point if it was more likely that Marner signs an extension or walks to free agency and Johnston's response was quite surprising.

The surprising part of what Johnston said isn't that Marner is more likely to walk than sign an extension, but rather that the Leafs seemingly aren't going to give him the option to sign one.

If the Leafs let Marner walk, it could turn out to be a much bigger mistake than trading him. The 27-year-old has played in 576 regular season games for the Leafs and accumulated 639 points and while he has been called out for 'disappearing' in the playoffs, he has still put up 50 points in 57 playoff games in the blue and white.

Source: Hockey DBMitch Marner player profile

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