After scoring two goals in a loss to the Avalanche, Marner spoke about recent reports of being asked to waive his no-move clause.
Mar 8, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) reacts after his second goal in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Three hours before the puck dropped between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche, a report surfaced that Mitch Marner was asked to waive his no-move clause before the NHL trade deadline.
The Carolina Hurricanes were searching for a trade partner for Mikko Rantanen, and Toronto — who ended up adding Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo — was in the mix for the Finnish forward.
According to The Athletic's Chris Johnston, Toronto approached Marner with a trade to Carolina, if he wasn't interested in signing an extension with his hometown team.
"Marner said he wanted to remain with the Leafs," Johnston wrote.
After scoring two goals in the Maple Leafs' 7-4 loss to the Avalanche, Marner spoke to the media, and was questioned about not waiving his no-move clause to go to the Hurricanes.
"I'm here to play hockey with this team. That's what I can tell you," Marner said. "I want to be with this team. I want to play for this team."
Whether the 27-year-old gets to free agency or not remains to be seen, but it certainly seems like it's getting to that point. And with that comes plenty of variables, potentially, with different teams.
However, Marner has stayed true to himself as a player. He's on pace for a career year with Toronto, scoring 21 goals and 58 assists for 79 points in 62 games.
How has he been able to play through the uncertainty?
"I got a great support staff. I got a great group of guys in this room as well I can lean on," he said. "But off the ice, I've got a great support staff I lean into a lot, talk to a lot, and, it's hockey. I just go out there and do my thing."
After Rantanen was traded to the Dallas Stars, he immediately signed an eight-year, $96 million deal. Marner's career points-per-game (1.12) is slightly above Rantanen's (1.09), but both appeared likely to land similar value with the salary cap rising next season.
In the summer, when there were questions about whether Marner would re-sign in the offseason, Marner expressed his desire to remain a Maple Leaf. He did the same on Saturday night.
The forward, however, wasn't willing to answer whether he'd negotiate with the team during the season: "Like I talked to you guys at the start (of the season), I'm not going to get into this. I'm here to play hockey. Let that happen with my agent and the team. I'm here to play hockey and do my thing."
What was most revealing throughout his media availability on Saturday was that it wasn't surprising he was reportedly asked to waive his no-move clause.
"I wasn't focused on it. I'm sure that I had a feeling that maybe something might happen," Marner said. "But I'm here to play hockey with this team, like I said, and I'm focused on this team and that's what I can tell you."
John Tavares, who's in the same boat as Marner (without a contract with Toronto going into next season), believes the winger is handling the noise well.
"I think Mitch is just focused on being a Leaf and doing everything he can to help the team," Tavares said.
"He's a great player. We love him in here, and we're just continuing to do what we do. We don't listen to any of those things that go on. It's part of the game, part of the business. We love him and he's playing great."
Does Marner, who grew up a Maple Leafs fan, was drafted by his hometown team, and has played every NHL game of his career with the club, envision himself remaining in Toronto next season?
"Like I talked to you guys, man, I'm not going to get into any of this stuff. I'm very grateful and I've loved my time being a Leaf," he said.
"So, that's what I'll leave with you guys. We got 20 games left here that aren't going to be easy. We gotta make sure we just put the foot down on the gas, give ourselves the best position in the playoffs."
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