We may be in the dog days of summer but there’s not a day that goes by that Maple Leafs fans don’t wonder about what the future holds for star winger Mitch Marner.
The 22-year-old, who wrapped up his second annual Marner All-Star Invitational charity event on Friday, is on the verge of hitting his biggest payday as his agent negotiates a new contract with Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas.
Marner, the Leafs’ leading point producer over the last two seasons, is coming off a year in which he played in all 82 games and set career highs for goals (26), assists (68) and points (94).
So it’s no surprise that the Markham, Ont.-born Marner wants to be among the highest-paid players on the team along with Auston Matthews (US$11.634 million per season) and John Tavares ($11 million). Matthews and Tavares are ranked third and fifth in the NHL (Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is No. 1 at $12.5 million) when it comes to their annual salary cap hit.
Signing Marner to a contract worth north of $11 million would make him the highest-paid right-winger in NHL history, earning more than Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane ($10.5 million) and recently crowned Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov ($9.5 million).
While the negotiations between Dubas and the Marner camp continue, Leafs fans can’t help but think about the what-ifs.
What if Marner signs an offer sheet from another team? Well, at least the Leafs will be able to debate the merits of signing him to the contract terms or receiving up to four first-round draft picks in return.
What if the two sides don’t come to an agreement before training camp begins on Sept. 13 in St. John’s, N.L.? Marner has said he will not report to camp to avoid injury.
What if Marner isn’t on the ice come opening night on Oct. 2 when Toronto hosts the Ottawa Senators? Will there be a repeat of the William Nylander contract fiasco?
The regular season may be months away but each day that passes with no news of a new contract is making Leafs fans a little more uncomfortable.
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