For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter Will we see a repeat of William Nylander’s contract impasse lasting well into the regular season with the unsigned Mitch Marner??? Or will Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas be able to find a reasonable common ground with agent Darren Ferris that he could not with Lewis Gross 12 months ago.
“(Mitch is) a massive, massive part of everything we’re doing here, both in terms of his talent and ability which has shown to be among the best in the league, and in terms of the joy and the leadership that he brings to the club each day.… Dubas said in April. “Without an answer on Mitch(before July 1), we’re going to be in a staIemate.…
In spite of Marner being the top priority of the summer, it does take two to tango and stalemate is where the two sides are at the end of July, six weeks before the start of training camp. The Leafs leading scorer’s camp appears to be sticking with their demands of a shorter-term deal and/or an AAV in the same neighborhood as Auston Matthews and John Tavares, while the Leafs are likely looking for an amount less than their top two centers on a long-term extension.
The move to acquire the contract of injured winger David Clarkson last week put Toronto into a favorable position to maximize their use of long-term injured reserve and have flexibility if negotiations go into the season.
While some that believe an offer sheet is a possibility and others that think that Marner will not want to put himself in the same place as Nylander and miss training camp, Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons believes that the winger will push things to the brink before agreeing to a deal after the start of the regular season on October 2. At that point, the contracts of Nathan Horton, Clarkson, Travis Dermott, and Zach Hyman would all go on LTIR and open up over $13 Million in space. That would allow Marner to sign a deal for the maximum amount allowable and the Leafs to avoid a prorated cap hit similar to the $10.3 Million that Nylander created by signing a deal on December 1.
My ongoing suspicion has been that the Leafs are not lowballing Marner in negotiations and the numerous stories the last few weeks indicate that he is not interested in leaving Toronto, but that this process will be drawn out as his agent will use every tactic at his disposal to get the best deal for his client. In the end, it does not appear that the question will be if Marner signs with the Leafs, but when the deal gets done, for how long and for how much.
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— The Leafs Convo (@TheLeafsConvo) July 23, 2019