The Toronto Maple Leafs have a crucial Mitch Marner decision to make this summer.
The Toronto suburbs kid has gotten to live out his dream of donning the Maple Leaf and performing at the highest level for his hometown team.
However, Toronto has lost in the first round seven of the past nine years and has not advanced past the second round since 2002. Marner is not the only player deserving of blame, but his clutch numbers are concerning.
Marner has appeared in 26 games five through seven of a series, and recorded just 1 goal and 10 assists in those contests. He is not a physical forward, and his inability to deliver in the most crucial games has plagued the Maple Leafs.
He is also a 100-point scorer, an elite defensive forward, and will command a seismic contract on the open market.
Here is what NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman had to say on his “32 Thoughts” podcast Sunday night:
“I know the Maple Leafs have tried to talk to Marner. Marner’s camp has not engaged with them. And I think everyone knows the way this is going to be heading, that on July 1, he’s going to go out there, he’s going to hit the market, he’s going to sign a contract, and he’s not coming back to Toronto.”
This marriage is still hanging on by a thread, but Marner heading elsewhere makes too much sense for both parties. Marner will probably end up in a smaller market with a struggling team eager to make a splash. The Anaheim Ducks come to mind.
He was infamously booed by his home crowd in the decisive Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers this year and could benefit from a less intense market (in fairness, almost every market is less intense than Toronto).
For the Maple Leafs, it feels like time to switch up this core and dedicate their resources to a John Tavares contract and a Matthew Knies extension, and use whatever remaining funds for depth scoring.
Read the full article here