Mitch Marner's classy actions after Leafs' press conference deserving of praise

With John Tavares voluntarily stepping back from his services as team captain and not only endorsing Matthews as the new captain the new captain and handing him his ceremonial jersey, fitted with a "C", the Toronto media is having a field day with the first real bit of truly newsworthy content during a relatively slow time of the year.

There are so many question marks even after Matthews being named captain, none more pressing than the futures of both Tavares and Marner, who will enter the 2024-25 season on expiring contracts.

Marner has dealt with more than his fair share of the media firestorm since their early playoff exit, but it looks like he's doing his best to deflect on a day where the news should be solely focused on Matthews.

With questions being asked directly to Tavares about his future with the Leafs, the former captain didn't divulge much. When Marner, who attended the event in support of both Tavares and Matthews, was asked about his future, he followed his former captain's lead like a true class act.

While Marner could have spun this situation into a positive one for PR purposes, he decided to keep quiet on his standing with the club and deflect to Matthews and Tavares - rightfully so.

The superstar winger will be bombarded all season long about his contract negotiations and this was the perfect opportunity to get ahead of the curve with a very important campaign for both player and club upcoming. Instead, Marner opted to keep the discussion about the two players involved in today's festivities, and should be commended for that.

Source: Nick Barden, The Hockey News
Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner Deflects Questions About Future at Auston Matthews' Captaincy Announcement