Michael Mazzei
The Mitch Marner saga continues to be the focal point of many Leafs fans thoughts throughout the offseason thus far. Every day sees a constant back-and-forth in regards to what his next deal will be and if he will even be on the team next season.
To me, this dispute ends the way it is supposed to with Marner re-signing with the Leafs. Not only that, he is going to get a deal with an annual salary of between $9.5 and $9.7 million for roughly six years or more depending on what both sides agree to.
We can talk all we want about how Marner’s camp feels “disrespected” by the team for what they are offering and how they believe their client is worth the same as Auston Matthews and John Tavares. And why not, that appears to be the underlying theme from reports in the mainstream media with insiders insistent that the Marner camp won’t budge on their offer.
In reality, it is simply nonsense and non-news that continues to be spread like wild-fire each and every day that won’t truly reflect the actual deal. If anything, getting caught up in the rumours won’t be beneficial unless it is actual news in regards to the negotiations.
Kyle Dubas has insisted for weeks that he wants to get this deal done right to avoid a situation similar to William Nylander’s this past season. Make no mistake about it, he will stay true to his words of “We can and we will” keep the big-4 locked up.
It’s not a matter of if it is going to get done, but when Marner will finally put the pen to paper and put to bed any doubts about his commitment to his hometown team.