Mitch Marner's Future with the Toronto Maple Leafs Hinges on One Crucial Factor
With a lot of questions surrounding Mitch Marner's future with the Maple Leafs, a lot of it comes down to doing the one thing that's eluded him his whole career.
It was a wild and crazy trade deadline for the Maple Leafs and it could have gotten a lot crazier had they done the impossible and traded Mitch Marner for Mikko Rantanen in what would have been a landscape altering deal.
But things fell through, and focus now shifts to Marner and his next contract.
Expected to command a lot of money come July 1, Toronto wants to re-sign him, and he wants to stay. The only issue is paying Marner the balance between what he deserves and what they can afford.
It seems that there's also one critical factor in determining if Marner stays, and it's something that he has struggled with since being here: playoff success.
Mitch Marner's Future Depends On Toronto's Current Success
Both JD Bunkis and Sam McKee were speaking on Bunkis' podcast and the topic of Marner came up, with both agreeing that if Toronto doesn't make a strong playoff push, you can say goodbye to Marner:
It's not hard to see why either. Marner has been here nine seasons, and won ONE playoff round. While it isn't solely his fault, that kind of results are inexcusable from a lineup like Toronto's and if Marner is fed up, who can blame him?
He's been the team's MVP, on pace to surpass his career high in points, and has 79 points in 62 games; good for sixth in the NHL.
A strong playoff run is a double-edged sword for the team however.
While doing well in the playoffs would give Marner confidence that he can win with this team, if he can lead Toronto to a deep run; it means teams know he can lead them too which means a massive payday come July 1.
Obviously, Marner's best run was in 2022-23 when Toronto won their first round series against Tampa Bay where he had 14 points in 11 games, and needs to play off his incredible regular season and come out with a wold-changing performance.
If he doesn't, and the Maple Leafs' other stars can't emerge from the shadows to make a difference, it's going to be another disappointing season for Marner, and could be the final straw that breaks his back and sends him elsewhere.
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