The Toronto Maple Leafs have become accustomed to the end of season press conference after alling short in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Sunday, the Maple Leafs were blown out 6-1 by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of their second-round series, and this time, there are questions arising about what will happen with the core. Mitch Marner is set to be a free agent, as is thier top free agent signing from a few years ago, John Tavares.
If Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube had his way, he would keep both. When asked by Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun if he'd like the front office to re-sign both Marner and Tavares, Berube said "100 percent."
Craig Berube wants Maple Leafs to re-sign Mitch Marner and John Tavares
While Berube wants to keep both players, that is easier said then done.
Marner is undisputedly the top free agent available this upcoming summer, and understandably so. The 28-year-old winger is coming off of a career-best season, where he notched 102 points on 27 goals and 75 assists. The thing is, based on recent reporting, it feels like a long-shot Marner does return.
Let's not forget that the Maple Leafs, knowing it was Marner's contract year, approached him about waiving his no-trade clause to finalize a trade that would have sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Mikko Rantanen, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston. Marner declined to waive the clause, and the trade was officially dead.
Not to mention, Marner also declined to negotiate a contract extension during the season.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff projects that Marner could earn up to $13 million per year on his next contract. That is a high asking price for a player, who as great as he was in the regular season, disappeared in the playoffs this year. In the final four games of the Panthers series, Marner had just four shots on goal. In Games 5 and 7, Marner was held to without a point.
In 70 playoff games with Toronto, Marner has 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists).
At the end of season press conference, Marner spoke fondly about his time in Toronto, but said he hasn't had a chance to discuss his future with his wife. One important point that Johnston of The Athletic points out, Marner never said he wanted to return during his time speaking with reporters.
Then, there's Tavares, who notably left the New York Islanders in the summer of 2018 and signed a lucrative deal to play for the Maple Leafs, his favorite team growing up. Tavares is no longer the player he was during his prime in New York, but he was still solid throughout his tenure in Toronto. Even in this past regular season, Tavares netted 38 goals, which was his most since his first year with the Maple Leafs (47 goals in the 2018-19 campaign).
Over his seven seasons with the club, Tavares recorded 222 goals and 271 assists in 515 regular season games. In the playoffs, Tavares recorded 17 goals and 14 assists across 51 playoff games. In the final four games of the Panthers series, Tavares didn't log a single point.
Unlike Marner, Tavares expressed his desire to remain with the team. The thing that could get tricky is the price tag on the contract. James Mirtle of The Athletic suggested Tavares could get offers in the camp of $7 million a year over three years, like Joe Pavelski received from the Dallas Stars when he was the same age as Tavares, and coming off the same goal total. Would the Leafs want to commit $7 million a year to a player, while coming off a solid season, is getting older and at risk of on-ice production declining?
These are questions Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving will have to answer this offseason. While Berube would like Marner and Tavares back, it's not a guarantee that Treliving will make that happen.