Last off-season Leafs GM Brad Treliving made it known that his priorities were to get Auston Matthews and William Nylander to put pen to paper on extensions.
While Matthews signed in late August, it took a little longer to get Nylander to sign, but they both got done and they will be Leafs together for at least the next four seasons.
With Mitch Marner and John Tavares able to sign extensions in less than a month, Treliving's tone has been quite different. While he has not openly discussed Tavares, Treliving responded to the comments made by Marner's agent Darren Ferris this week while in Buffalo for the scouting combine. His comments caught the attention of Sportsnet's Luke Fox, who was on "Leafs Morning Take" today and noted the difference in tone when asked about the Marner situation.
With Treliving not speaking anywhere near as decisively about Mitch Marner as he did about both Auston Matthews and William Nylander, it could certainly be an easy interpretation that he's not quite sure how things will unfold this summer. There's no certainty at all, other than to say that Marner is a good player, which he is.
Whether or not this develops into anything remains to be seen, but now that Fox has pointed it out, it is glaringly obvious that there is a difference in how Treliving is approaching this summer compared to how he went about his business in the summer of 2023.
POLL | ||
JUIN 6 | 448 ANSWERS Reporter makes keen observation about Brad Treliving's comments on Mitch Marner What will happen with Marner? | ||
Traded before the season | 103 | 23 % |
Signs extension | 102 | 22.8 % |
Plays out contract | 243 | 54.2 % |
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