Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving held a surprise press conference on Sunday following the team’s practice in Utah, throwing his support behind franchise forward Mitch Marner.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that Treliving asked Marner to waive his no-movement clause amidst trade talks surrounding superstar Mikko Rantanen, who ended up going to the Dallas Stars and signing long-term there. Marner opted to decline to waive it, and when pressed about it following the team’s 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, he declined to comment on whether he saw himself in Toronto long-term.
Marner took some heat for this, but he established very early on that he would not be negotiating a long-term deal in-season and would decline to answer any questions about the process. Still, the post-game press conference combined with the report earlier that day created a storm of unnecessary drama around Marner, who has been playing some of the best hockey of his career this season, capped off by a thrilling 4-Nations tournament. As a result, Treliving felt the need to speak to the media and clarify his stance on Marner.
As everybody expected it would, Marner’s contract negotiations have dominated headlines this season. The 27-year-old is in the final year of his contract and is expected to test the market this upcoming summer, but perhaps the most polarizing iteration of the speculation came this past weekend. With the amount the Toronto market zeroes in on contract negotiations- and there’s been plenty across the past half-decade or so- there’s going to be an extra element of pressure on Marner despite the amount he’s already facing. Still, Treliving confirmed the team’s priorities lie in one area.
“I wanted to make sure we came out, addressed it,” Treliving said via TSN’s Mark Masters. “I support Mitch 1000 per cent, and he’s not out here on an island with us. We’re trying to worry about winning hockey games.”
Marner and the Maple Leafs will be back in action on Monday night when they visit Utah for the first time in their franchise’s history. You can watch Treliving’s full media availability here.
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