The circumstances surrounding Mitch Marner and his ongoing contract negotiation with the Toronto Maple Leafs are exhausting all parties involved and we may be getting a moratorium on further updates throughout the summer.
Marner still has one year left on his contract and is now eligible for an extension. Whether it’s fair or not, Marner has become a scapegoat of sorts, with many factions of the fan base isolating his offensive struggles as the primary reason why the Maple Leafs lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube provided Marner with a solid endorsement over the weekend and Brad Treliving doubled down on the team’s assessment after speaking to reporters about the team’s free agency haul Monday.
“No update on Mitch,” Treliving said via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. “Mitch is a great player. We’re lucky to have him … Craig (Berube) alluded to it at his last press availability. He’s excited to coach him and we move forward. Mitch is training, preparing, getting ready for the season.”
Treliving provided a similar update on John Tavares, who is working out at the team’s facility.
“I’m not going to get into any contract discussions we may or may not be having,” Treliving said via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
Marner and his camp effectively control the discussion with a full no-movement clause and he’s always indicated that he wants to remain with the Maple Leafs. At the team’s end-of-year media availability, Marner reiterated his longstanding desire to remain with the organization, while mentioning that star players get treated like gods in Toronto — a comment that some interpreted in bad faith to cast attacks upon the 27-year-old.
He’s the most widely-sought after trade target on Daily Faceoff’s board but it doesn’t appear that a Marner trade will be coming to fruition any time soon and all parties inside the Maple Leafs’ ecosystem, whether it’s the team personnel, the players, the media or the fans, the frenzied talk surrounding Marner has dulled out.
