Maple Leafs must accept reality and pay Mitch Marner
By Staff
The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to wait out Mitch Marner. They should stop playing games and open up their checkbook.
The city of Toronto is staring at Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas. They’re also glaring at superstar wing Mitch Marner and his agent, Darren Ferris.
Marner, 22, is a restricted free agent who has yet to sign a long-term deal with theMaple Leafs. It now seems Marner is wiling to sign an offer sheet from another team should one come, giving Toronto the opportunity to match. Should the Maple Leafs decide not to, they would receive a whopping four first-round picks in return.
In three NHL seasons, Marner has played 241 regular-season games and notched 224 points including 67 goals and 157 assists. In 2018-19, the Ontario native broke out with 94 points.
For Dubas, it makes little sense to continue playing this game of high-stakes chicken. The Maple Leafs have other needs to fulfill — specifically the blue line — and nothing can truly happen until Marner is dealt with. Looking at the salary cap situation, Toronto has approximately $13.5 million in space, which is in the ballpark of what Marner will cost.
Ultimately, the Maple Leafs have done a poor job of understanding how much their stars were going to cost. The franchise locked up Auston Matthews and William Nylander along with paying huge dollars for former New York Islanders star John Tavares. While Dubas can afford to ink Marner, the expected price tag would leave both him and the Leafs hard-pressed to take on any other significant contracts in the near or long-term future.
With defenseman Nikita Zaitsev reportedly wanting to be traded and Nazem Kadri the subject of constant trade rumors, Dubas could open up room by moving both for picks. It might be the best move, after signing Marner to the extension he deserves, that is.