It’s fair to suggest that the Toronto Maple Leafs could look to make some massive organizational changes during the offseason.
For an organization and fan base that’s dying to win a Stanley Cup, they may believe that they simply haven’t been able to get the job done because of what they are.
Some of that falls on superstar Mitch Marner, but it’s also important to remember that he hits free agency this offseason, and the last thing that Toronto wants is to lose him for nothing.
However, over the past few months, many have suggested that Marner could be departing from Toronto and leave for nothing, putting the Maple Leafs in a strange spot.
Plenty of that will come down to money. If the Maple Leafs want to give him what he’s clearly worth, it’ll cause them to open up the checkbook.
After being eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it remains uncertain whether that’s what the team even wants to do.
Whether they do or don’t, Marner will get paid, and The Athletic believes it could come in a record-breaking type of deal.
The Athletic recently predicted that Marner will get a seven-year, $12.95 million AAV deal. That would amount to approximately $90.65 million over the duration of the contract.
“Coming off the most productive season of his NHL career, Marner is the kind of blue-chip player who rarely hits the open market in his prime. Adding him would be viewed as a franchise-altering move in several markets across the league because of a unique skill set that makes him not only one of the NHL’s most offensively gifted performers but also one of its more trusted forwards on the defensive side of the puck.
“The former Selke Trophy finalist has been a top penalty-killing option for years and routinely uses his elite instincts to pressure opponents into turnovers when defending at five-on-five. Marner will be paid among the game’s highest earners on his next contract,” they wrote.
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Marner proved during the regular season that he’s worth that type of money, posting 102 points.
He had a strange playoff showing again, but the same could be said for many of the players on the Maple Leafs roster.
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