Mitch Marner shuts down all Leafs-related questions during charity event

The spotlight has always been bright around hometown boy Mitch Marner, who was drafted 4th overall back in 2015. In this, his 6th year running the Marner Assist Foundation, and his coming into his 9th year as a Maple Leaf, Marner has become accustomed to the bright lights and media attention. He doesn't always like it, but he knows it's all a part of playing in Toronto.

On Friday, The Hockey News' own David Alter reported that Marner has outlawed any questions about the Maple Leafs at this year's Marner Assist Foundation event, which differs from previous years where no questions were off-limits.

In terms of what this means, it may signify an attempt at a huge culture shift that will see Marner's camp control the narrative surrounding him a little more.

There's also a small possibility that perhaps Marner knows he's getting moved at some point and wants to avoid saying anything that might impact those talks that are occurring behind closed doors.

It could also simply be that Marner wants to avoid talking business during a charity event. He may simply want to keep the attention on the event itself, instead of turning into a circus surrounding his current contract status and the noise surrounding the Leafs' first round exit against Boston.

At any rate, whatever the reason behind the decision is, the reality is that Marner has taken more than his fair share of heat in Toronto in recent years and there's nothing wrong with wanting to use his downtime during the offseason to rest, reset and recharge.

Marner had several Leafs teammates with him at the event, including Max Domi, John Tavares and Joseph Woll, as well as ex-Leafs teammate Connor Brown.

Marner is coming off of a stellar season in which he produced 85 points in just 69 games.

Source for stats: Hockey DB
Mitch Marner stats and bio