TSN's Darren Dreger Clears the Air Amid Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner Speculation
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
TSN's Darren Dreger has provided some much-needed clarity on the Mitch Marner situation in Toronto, following the recent Mikko Rantanen blockbuster trade.
This past week, the hockey world was blown away to learn that Stanely Cup champion Mikko Rantanen had been dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes in a massive 3-team trade that also included the Chicago Blackhawks.
Since that trade went down, all of the attention has been turned towards several other top tier pending UFAs, Mitch Marner among them.
While Marner and the Leafs appear to be no closer to coming to terms on a contract extension than they were on July 1st, a recent rumour regarding Marner's asking price from the Maple Leafs on a new contract had many suspecting that he could be the next superstar to move.
Now, TSN's Darren Dreger is pouring cold water on that notion, sharing the following information on this morning's edition of "First Up" on TSN 1050.
"For one, Marner has full no-move protection, so if he's going to be traded, he'd have to agree to it-and it's hard to see why he'd want to. Where would he realistically have a better shot at winning a Stanley Cup? There's no clear answer. Sure, you could point to teams like Florida or Vegas, but it's not even guaranteed they'll be serious contenders by the trade deadline. So, it just doesn't feel like a trade is likely."
Dreger also reminded listeners that both the Maple Leafs and the player himself have a mutual interest in getting a deal done, which would prevent the superstar winger from ever reaching July 1st without a contract in place.
"The bigger factor is that Toronto wants to keep Marner, and it's pretty obvious he wants to stay and spend his career as a Leaf. The only real holdup is the business side of things. If Marner decided today that he wanted to sit down with Brad Treliving and get a deal started, they'd jump on it right away. What makes this such a big talking point isn't anything coming from the Leafs-this is all about the outside buzz in the hockey world. When you're talking about a player as talented as Marner, people are going to pay attention. If Elias Pettersson had been moved to Carolina, we wouldn't be having the same level of discussion. A lot of this also ties into Mikko Rantanen, who's a pending UFA. While there are some similarities between the two players, there are also some pretty clear differences that make this a unique situation."
Marner's full no-movement clause certainly differs from Rantanen's modified NTC, allowing him to submit a 9-team no-trade list. If the Leafs ever did wish to move Marner, they'd require the player's blessing, as Dreger outlined.
There's still a lot of time between now and July 1st for things to change, but at the moment, it would appear as though Marner and the Leafs will continue their relationship well beyond the 2024-25 season.
The Leafs are off until Wednesday, at which point, they'll play host to the Minnesota Wild before they embark on a lengthy road trip prior to the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
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