NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn

"Maybe because he's from Toronto": NHL insider talks about 'pressure' Mitch Marner faces amid contract negotiations

Modified Sep 21, 2024 02:38 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action in Training Camp, having made several notable changes to their organization over the summer. They hired Craig Berube as head coach to replace Sheldon Keefe and named Auston Matthews the new team captain.

Former captain John Tavares is entering the final year of his current contract, fueling speculation regarding his future with the organization. But another key member of Toronto's "Core Four" entering the final year of his contract is Mitch Marner.

The forward caught plenty of heat from fans and media following his performance in Toronto's opening-round loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Boston Bruins this spring. Meanwhile, his agent Darren Ferris hinted in a conversation with The Athletic that contract negotiations are underway.

According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, any perception that the public has that Marner isn't passionate enough is false. While writing in his latest "32 Thoughts" column, Friedman noted that how he's viewed by many in the fan base compared with how his teammates look at him is vastly different - but that he may not be receiving the best advice from those in his inner circle.

"The public’s perception of him and the way his teammates feel about him are completely different," Friedman said. "He shares the same frustrations about the playoffs as all Leafs fans."

"There are some people in his camp that don’t help him," Friedman noted.

Friedman then noted that it's because Marner is a Toronto native that he takes the pressure that comes with suiting up for the Maple Leafs more personally than others.

"Maybe it’s because he’s from Toronto, but he wears the pressure more than anyone else. Some of his most frustrated quotes come when the team is struggling in the playoffs."

Will Mitch Marner re-sign with the Maple Leafs?

Having played his entire career with the Maple Leafs, Marner has made no secret that he would prefer to remain a member of the team on a long-term basis.

Selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, Marner has scored 194 goals with 445 assists in 576 career games. He also has another 11 goals and 39 assists in 57 career postseason games.

The Leafs have already made long-term commitments to Matthews and to William Nylander, the latter of whom was re-signed to an eight-year pact with an AAV of $11.5 million. Whether or not Leafs management sees fit to extend Marner when his current contract ends remains up in the air.