Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving also said on Wednesday that he wouldn't publicly discuss contract negotiations with Marner and John Tavares.
When Mitch Marner addressed the media for the first time this season on Wednesday, he immediately said he wouldn't discuss his current contract status.
The 27-year-old forward is entering the final year of a six-year, $65.408 million deal he signed back in Sept. 2019. He was eligible to sign an extension with Toronto on July 1, but Marner and the organization are yet to agree on a deal.
"I'm not here to talk about that," Marner firmly said on Wednesday morning within a media room tucked inside Ford Performance Centre.
"Like I said at the captaincy media availability, I'm very happy to be a Maple Leaf. It's an unbelievable privilege, but I'm not here to talk about [contract negotiations]. I'm here to talk about the season and getting going."
After the Boston Bruins eliminated Toronto from the playoffs earlier this spring, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said everything was on the table heading into the offseason, meaning they were looking at what potential changes to the roster could be made.
No trades involving the team's core players occurred, however, the Maple Leafs made several key signings, including defensemen Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa plus goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
Toronto also re-signed Max Domi, Timothy Liljegren, and restricted free agents Joseph Woll, Nick Robertson, and Alex Steeves. It's safe to say Toronto was busy on the signings front, but nothing involving two of their top players in Marner and John Tavares, who are both set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
The right winger, though, has described his desire to remain in Toronto.
"Like I've stated for a long time, growing up in this area, I've always been a Leafs fan. I've always wanted this team to succeed and win, just to see what that would feel like," Marner said on Wednesday.
"It's obviously a very hard season, it's a hard grind, there's another 31 teams out there trying to do the exact same thing, so nothing's ever easy. But, you know, it's my home, it's the place that I've grown up. I've got many, many memories of watching this team play on a Saturday night hockey with my family, in the family room just sitting there for hours watching.
"And now being able to live that dream is pretty special. Like I said, you always cheer for this team to try to win, and unfortunately, it never happened then, and it hasn't happened yet. So it's just about making sure we're doing the right things every single day, like I said, and play the best we can for it, be the best we can be."
William Nylander went through a similar situation entering last season. The forward didn't have an extension lined up with Toronto going into training camp but played well enough to earn an eight-year, $92 million extension four months into the season.
Marner was asked on Wednesday if he learned anything about that case but concluded that he's only thinking about contributing to the Maple Leafs' goal of making a long run in the playoffs.
"I think you can't think of it that way. It's another year of wanting to be the best player you can be, help his team with hockey games, so that's what my mind is," Marner said.
"It's not thinking of, you know, a contract year, you're going to be doing this and that. It's just another hockey year that you want to be the best you can be to help this team win hockey games and try to get to the ultimate goal."
Tavares, being in the same boat as Marner, was asked how he believes his teammate is handling the talk surrounding him potentially becoming a UFA. The former Toronto captain described what Marner means to the team, both on and off the ice.
"I think he's handled it really well. I think he's had a great summer and I know how focused he's been on working on his game and improving and getting better and getting ready for the season and continuing to want to help us win and be a big part of that."
Marner had 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points in 69 games last season, the fourth-highest season total of his career. He scored one goal and two assists in seven playoff games against the Bruins earlier this spring.
