Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving makes his thought on Mitch Marner absolutely clear

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Oct 10, 2024 10:10 GMT

It's going to be an interesting season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have already undergone multiple changes in leadership following last spring's opening-round postseason defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe was fired and 2019 Stanley Cup-winning bench boss Craig Berube, formerly of the St. Louis Blues, was hired in his stead. Additionally, John Tavares ceded the team captaincy to Auston Matthews after five seasons.

For Tavares, he's set to enter the final year of his current contract. And joining him without a contract for next season is Mitch Marner, who took plenty of criticism from pundits and fans after his underwhelming performance against the Bruins in the playoffs.

But when asked what Marner must do to earn a new contract, Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving was blunt in his assessment of the popular forward (via AthlonSports.com):

“Mitch Marner is a star in this league," Treliving said. "To your question, what does he have to do? He just has to be himself.

“Our failings or us falling short last year, I can’t speak to the previous years — I wasn’t here — but I can speak to last year. That doesn’t lie solely on Mitch’s shoulders.

"We need Mitch just to be Mitch," he added. "He doesn’t have to do anything more than that. This guy’s a terrific player. There’s very few players in the league that can produce the offense that he does, kill penalties, and be in the Selke Trophy conversation."

Treliving also voiced his approval of Marner's offseason training and the condition in which he arrived at Training Camp last month.

"He's had a great summer. He's prepared," Treliving said. "I couldn't be more pleased with him during camp. He's got a lot of juice to him."

Marner and Co. will open their season Wednesday night against rivals Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal.

Mitch Marner is entering the final year of his current contract

A native of Ontario, Marner was selected by his hometown Maple Leafs with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

He's played his entire career with Toronto, tallying 639 points through 194 goals and 445 assists in 576 career games. He has also hit 50 points through 11 goals and 39 assists in 57 career postseason games.

Marner is known as a "Core 4" member of the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Tavares, Matthews and William Nylander. However, the Leafs have made long-term commitments to both Matthews and Nylander, while the futures of Marner and Tavares beyond this season with the Leafs remains up in the air.