Mitch Marner Breaks His Silence On His Contract Negotiations
With Mitch Marner's contract situation still a big question mark, the Leafs forward at the center of discussions has finally commented on the whole situation.
It's been a story that has dominated headlines recently with speculation and rumors about whether or not the dynamic forward will re-sign with the Maple Leafs or head off to greener pastures with a huge contract in hand.
There's been stories about an internal cap causing issues, and there have even been some wild discussion about trading Marner as well, but with all these comments and analysis, we've yet to hear from the man at the center of it all.
Mitch Marner's Finally Breaking His Silence Over Contract Extension
Marner has been focused on trying to help Toronto continue their dominance so far this season, and he's doing a great job of it with 36 points in 26 games and showing the Leafs why they need to be proactive about negotiations.
But with those negotiations, Marner is keeping himself away from it and solely looks at the situation as he should; as a hockey player:
Marner's ignorance to his contract situation is the best course of action, as there isn't much he can do besides focus on being the player Toronto needs him to be.
Distractions aren't a bad thing, and keeping Marner away from the business side of things is only beneficial.
Maple Leafs management needs to realize exactly what they have in Marner as he is arguably as important if not more than Auston Matthews at times, and it's hard to imagine how the team would of fared with their captain out had Marner not stepped up.
Since being drafted fourth overall by Toronto, Marner has been as advertised with 675 points in 602 games, though the one knock he gets is his playoff production. While he does have 50 points in 57 games, his lack of offense in crucial Game Seven's garners him a lot of backlash from fans.
Marner's sole focus being on hockey can only be a positive for both himself and the Maple Leafs.
He can focus on ensuring he's playing to the best of his ability without trying to push for a higher valued contract; and Toronto can focus on doing what they can to ensure they keep Marner no matter what it costs.
