For a second, it appeared as if the Toronto Maple Leafs had finally turned the corner. They advanced past the pesky Ottawa Senators in the first round and took the first two games of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers, but have dropped each of their last three contests against their Atlantic Division rivals, putting themselves on the brink of elimination. Whether they can find a way to rally and advance or not, Mitch Marner, one of the team's best players, appears to be on the chopping block, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic ($).
"There is absolutely zero reason to believe that he’ll be signing another contract in Toronto on or before July 1 – not after refusing to negotiate an in-season extension with the Leafs or even considering a request from management to waive his no-movement clause at the trade deadline,” Johnston wrote Thursday. “Everything is lining up for him to walk free.”
For some Maple Leafs fans, this is great news. For others, this is catastrophic. In reality, it's probably somewhere in the middle.
It sure sounds like Mitch Marner is as good as gone from the Maple Leafs
To put it simply, Marner is one of the best players in the NHL. He just set a career high with 102 points this past season for the Maple Leafs, and he's averaged over a point per game in each of his past seven campaigns. In addition, he provides excellent value defensively and on the penalty kill.
Losing a player of Marner's ability for no return would be a major blow for what's a really good Maple Leafs team as constructed.
However, while Marner is as good as it gets among wingers in the regular season, his postseason resume leaves a lot to be desired. While he does have 12 points in 11 playoff games this season, he has just two goals on his ledger and has been held without a point in Games 4 and 5 of Toronto's second-round series against Florida.
Marner has a history of disappearing offensively in the biggest games, which has made him an oft-criticized player among Maple Leafs fans. While he's more than worth the hefty paycheck coming his way in the regular season, can the Leafs really justify giving him major money with how he's played when it really matters?
While some Maple Leafs fans might say no to that question, the list of available forwards is far from star-studded, especially with Mikko Rantanen, a player Toronto reportedly showed interest in acquiring in a swap for Marner, off the market. It's hard to justify willingly letting Marner walk without a viable replacement coming in, no matter how badly some fans might want a major shake-up.
Ultimately, if the Leafs can't get Marner signed before free agency, what ends up happening isn't up to them. Marner could ultimately decide he wants a fresh start away from his hometown team. If Marner does end up departing, it'll be interesting to see how the Maple Leafs respond.