Toronto Maple Leafs: Let’s Get Real About Mitch Marner

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot on their plate this offseason, including negotiations with Mitch Marner. Some people need a bit of perspective.

Do you ever find yourself referring to the Toronto Maple Leafs top right winger as just “Mitchy”? Have you attempted at least one Fortnite dance? Do you only find out what Fortnite is because of Marner?

Hate vegetables?

Love Mountain Dew?

Answering yes to all, most, or any of these questions likely means you’re part of the Mitch Marner Fan Club. Members of this fan club often exclaim “MMMMMitch MMMMMarner” with PA announcer Mike Ross and many of them now have Intact Insurance.

Members are also hardcore believers that Marner won’t, and shouldn’t, sign for anything less than $11 million.

I won’t go too much into contracts here because that’s all anyone seems to be able to talk about. I also won’t venture into anything I don’t completely understand. Instead, let’s first explore factors other than his numbers that should go into whatever deal he gets.

The New Generation Of Leafs Fans

What kid doesn’t like a guy who posts funny videos on Instagram, can dab, floss (not that way) and make sick plays on the ice? I’d say the majority of young Leafs fans sport a Marner jersey because he’s that guy. Marner is also a child at heart – he literally jumped up and down and cheered on an inflatable Carlton the Bear for scaring him.

Marner is a dominant part of the Toronto Maple Leafs roster not only because he’s a good player but because he knows how to entertain, engage and be himself off the ice. With cameras everywhere and privacy now dwindling, Marner manages to present himself tastefully.

A Sportsnet interview revealed just how relatable Marner is. Vegetables have to be hidden in smoothies where he can’t taste them. We all have a branch on that tree. He breathes life into a hockey team that’s constantly tormented by the media for not being good enough, for disappointing fans, for making the wrong moves.

He makes us love to watch them on and off the ice and the fan club will agree. But, and here’s the part where we have to get real, is he really worth that $11 million?

Now we can talk about that contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Are, Yes, The Toronto Maple Leafs

Everything is a bigger deal here. There’s an immense amount of pressure on this team to succeed, which means there are also constant criticism and overestimation of players.

Does Marner deserve a city-wide fan club? Yes.

Is he worth the amount everyone says he is? Eh…

Marner had 94 points in 82 regular season games in 2018-19 to lead the Maple Leafs (stats from NHL.com). He’s a fantastic player and asset, but despite everything, he’s not as good as the team’s top two centres already making upwards of that $11 million.

Would his impending earnings generate this much hubbub somewhere else?

In Toronto, winning playoff games makes us celebrate as much as another team would winning the Cup. If the Leafs had won Game 7 against the Bruins, forget about it.

The fact of the matter is that this whole debate over Marner’s contract wouldn’t be happening if he didn’t play in Toronto. The going price everyone seems to be set on is way more than what other wingers in the league earn.

I want to see him in a Leafs jersey as much as the next person, I just think he should be making under $9 or $10 million because that’s realistic. I’m part of the Mitch Marner Fan Club, too, but let’s get real about Mitchy.