Rumour Roundup: Mitch Marner’s camp ‘not engaged’ with Maple Leafs

With just over two weeks until free agency, it appears as though Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs are headed toward a breakup.

The team has tried talking to its star winger before he hits the open market on July 1, but has been rebuffed, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Sunday’s 32 Thoughts Podcast.

“Marner’s camp is not engaged with them. And I think everybody knows the way this is going to be heading — that on July 1, he’s gonna go out there, he’s gonna hit the market, he’s gonna pick a team, he’s gonna set a contract, and he’s not coming back to Toronto,” Friedman said.

The noise since Toronto’s second-round loss to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers has been that Marner would leave the only team he’s ever known.

Now, it is coming closer to a reality. On Friday, FanDuel Sports Network’s Andy Strickland reported that Marner would not return to Toronto — which Friedman did not dispute.

The Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights are all interested in speaking with Marner, Friedman reported.

And Marner may take his time in choosing his next team.

“It sounds like the possibility exists that this may not be a July 1 thing, that Marner’s choice could be to set up Zooms, or if teams want in-person meetings, on July 1 or right after, and then maybe he goes and visits one or two places,” Friedman said.

It is also not a given that Marner would take the maximum-term seven-year contract available to him in free agency, Friedman reported.

Instead, he could opt for a four-year deal as Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews did and potentially re-enter the market at age 32.

Marner recorded career highs in assists (75) and points (102) last season and added 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 13 post-season games.

“Nobody is confirming this, but I think the Maple Leafs were offered one of the meetings too, and another team told me it was kinda funny to them because they’re like, ‘What possibly could be the benefit of a meeting between Marner and the Maple Leafs? They already know everything about each other.’”

The Hurricanes already tried to make a move for Marner at the trade deadline, but the forward reportedly nixed a deal that would have sent him to Carolina in exchange for Mikko Rantanen.

Carolina, however, is undeterred in its search for a big name, Friedman reported.

“I think they absolutely want to be in the Marner game. No question about it. Zero doubt,” he said. “I know some of his Leafs teammates have suspected that Marner’s gonna go west, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.”

Meanwhile, Marner’s free agency could affect other players, including Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers.

Like Marner, Ehlers appears to be on track to take things down to July 1, Friedman reported.

“He’s gonna see what’s out there,” Friedman said. “I do wonder if a team that’s looking at the wing says we’re not in the Marner game or we don’t have a shot at Marner, we’re just going right to Ehlers.”

Another winger that could be on the market — although only via trade — is the Buffalo Sabres‘ J.J. Peterka, who is coming off a career-high 68-point season.

The Sabres had been rejecting other teams’ advances on the 23-year-old, but have recently become more open to the idea of a trade, Friedman reported.

“People know Peterka’s unhappy, and it’s believed he would like to go somewhere else, and I just think that reality is sinking in a bit. I think the Sabres realize they have to at least look into it, and I think in the last little bit it’s gone from ‘we don’t wanna do it and we’re not doing it’ to ‘we don’t want to do it but we at least have to look into it,’” Friedman said.

Whichever way it all shakes out, there could be plenty of movement in the NHL landscape over the next few weeks.

“It’s gonna be a crazy 16 days. Crazy,” Friedman said.

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