Friedman on Mitch Marner: Leafs facing a win-win or another Kadri-like trade?
Elliotte Friedman believes the Toronto Maple Leafs are waiting for a win-win scenario to avoid making an emotional Mitch Marner trade, similar to what happened with Nazem Kadri.
One of the topics to follow in this offseason will be Mitch Marner's situation in Toronto. The Maple Leafs' star will be eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1st, as he enters the final year of his $10,903,000 AAV contract.
General Manager Brad Treliving was clear in his end-of-season press conference; he wants to make the team better and consider all scenarios on the table to get there. Perhaps no file on his desk is bigger than Marner's.
Any teams in the League would love to have Mitch Marner on their roster. He's extremely talented and still in his prime.
However, it's been put forward by the renowned insider Elliotte Friedman that the Leafs are in no rush to make it happen, and that he wouldn't be surprised to see this matter being resolved during the next season, like we saw with William Nylander's contract extension.
«Don't be surprised if Marner's situation plays out over the next season in Toronto.»
The delicate negotiations between player and team aim for a win-win, with the Leafs seeking a beneficial trade or strategic use of cap space. Concerns include fan reactions if Marner remains unsigned and a trade based on emotions like the Kadri trade a few seasons ago, which the Leafs do not want to repeat. They fear Marner could thrive as a great player in a quieter market.
«If the contract demands on both sides are crazy, it could lead to a divorce. But on June 2nd, I'm not certain that Marner will be traded.»"
Brad Treliving doesn't want to repeat past mistakes like Nazem Kadri and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Leafs will want to avoid repeating a trade like Nazem Kadri's, that was made based on emotions. The former Leaf had refused a trade to the Calgary Flames, and ex-general manager Kyle Dubas accepted another deal involving Tyson Barrie, Alex Kerfoot, and a 6th-round draft pick before seeing Kadri have a breakout season in Colorado a few years later.
In addition to Marner having a no-movement clause in his contract and a tough salary to move, Treliving is facing pressure to avoid repeating what happened with Kadri in Toronto, as well as the Jonathan Huberdeau-Matthew Tkachuk trade that went down in Calgary, possibly one of the worst deals we've seen in recent years.
Do you think the Maple Leafs would make a mistake by waiting after the summer to trade Mitch Marner?
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Maple Leafs would make a mistake by waiting after the summer to trade Mitch Marner? | ||
| Yes | 300 | 54.6 % |
| No | 249 | 45.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
