Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Finally Speaks Out on Mitch Marner's Contract Situation
With all the talk surrounding Mitch Marner's future status with the Maple Leafs, his linemate and best friend Auston Matthews has given his thoughts on the matter.
As focus for the Maple Leafs front office shifts from the trade deadline to the offseason, the biggest question mark is whether or not Mitch Marner is going to re-sign with the team or find a bigger and better deal in free agency.
It's a tough road to navigate, and with reports that the team and Marner is so close, yet so far on negotiations, it makes things even more stressful. Everyone just wants some closure one way or another though they may need to wait and see how the playoffs turn out first.
For Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, he certainly would like to see something done, and for a guy who not only has played with Marner his whole career, but his best friend; he knows that it's a business at the end of the day:
Auston Matthews And Mitch Marner: Forever Linked
The two players are synonymous with each other, as they have been an integral part of Toronto's modern core of draft picks that also includes William Nylander. Adding John Tavares created the 'Core Four'; a powerhouse of skill and veteran leadership that was expected to lead the team to great things.
However, one playoff series isn't the type of success that keeps players around, and another quick exit this season all but assuredly means that Marner is leaving town.
Matthews isn't one to wax poetic, and he's never one to talk a lot about feelings and clearly understands it's a business at the end of the day.
But it would have to hurt Matthews to see his best friend leave over a dispute of under a million dollars, and who knows what the loss of Marner and potentially John Tavares means for the locker room?
Does moving on from Marner and adding someone in free agency the move? Can anyone on the market even come close to the level of production that he's given this season?
With Mikko Rantanen off the market, it's hard to say who could be on that level, and Connor McDavid isn't a free agent until 2026.
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are going to be forever linked regardless if Marner leaves due to the legacy they left in Toronto, even if they weren't as successful as we all had hoped.
