Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner Met With Other Teams

William Nylander never met with rival NHL teams while still being under contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It’s true. No need to get angry here, folks. I’m just stating a fact.

As July 1st creeps on to the horizon and Mitch Marner gradually inches closer to restricted free agent status, word is that the 22-year-old superstar courted a number of rival suitors yesterday while his contract negotiations sat at its usual stalemate back in Toronto.

There is no reasonable cause for outrage here, either. Marner’s CBA-mandated rights allow him to take meetings with other organizations once the NHL’s RFA interview window opened on June 26th, and that’s exactly what he did. All the power to him.

That being said, context is still important.

Marner is beloved by those within Toronto – the statue for his eventual place on Legend’s Row already being constructed as we speak. Few players have managed to earn the kind of wide-spread adoration that Marner has in such a short tenure with the team. Despite only being a Maple Leaf for three full seasons at this point, Marner could retire tomorrow and live out the rest of his days in unparalleled luxury on various engagement fees and endorsement cheques.

Do you know who probably couldn’t do that, though? William Nylander.

You see, Nylander went through a similar, albeit infinitely less toxic (in the public arena, at least) RFA negotiation saga just last year. Both him and Marner are marketable young stars playing for a borderline-contending team, and Nylander was simply fighting at the time to secure his financial future, exactly as Marner is today.

The only difference is that Nylander’s name managed to get dragged through the mud by a section of this fanbase like no player has ever before. So much as mentioning the name “Nylander” to your irritable uncle, even after he signed, is enough to case a rage-filled fit.

And yet, Nylander, his camp, and the Leafs organization uttered nary a word throughout the entire process. Both sides more or less allowed the negotiations to unfold behind closed doors, as they likely felt privacy was the most respectable method to do so.

Marner’s situation, on the other hand, has been anything but private.

From the moment Auston Matthews signed his own extension back in February, there Darren Ferris was, bellyaching to anyone who would listen about how his client (who has been given every single advantage known to man since donning a Leafs sweater) was actually being disrespected by the Maple Leafs organization.

Then came the comments from Mitch’s father, Paul Marner, skewering the coaching staff for failing to give his son enough ice time as a rookie (Marner logged the third-highest ice time of any Leaf forward during the 2016-17 season).

From then on, all Leafs fans have been treated to are daily and clearly-influenced “reports” suggesting that a) Marner is worth Matthews money (he isn’t), b) won’t sign for anything less than that (he won’t), and c) that an offer sheet in the $13-14 million AAV range is imminent (it isn’t).

Given the degree of abject abuse Nylander underwent for playing hardball on his own post-ELC deal, you’d imagine that Marner, after literally flirting with other teams yesterday despite still being married to the Leafs, would experience something similar.

Nope. Scroll through Twitter and you’ll find the same grey-haired, Wendel Clark-loving uncles frothing at the mouth for Toronto to handcuff their cap structure and pay their small adult son an ungodly fee.

Boy, hockey sure can be a hypocritical place, huh?

Nylander stayed completely out of the spotlight during his situation a year ago in order to avoid adding unnecessary fuel to that fire. Flash forward to this summer, and not only is Marner threatening to dump an entire oil tanker on it, he’s actively taking applications for which of Toronto’s rivals will help him do it.

Which, again, is perfectly within his rights. The NHL is structured in a way to knee-cap young players when it comes to their own labour rights, and Marner is simply taking advantage of the little leverage he has. That’s terrific. But don’t forget how another young Leaf was treated for doing practically the exact same thing less than twelve whole months ago, only to an indescribably less boisterous degree.

If you’re chomping at the bit to (unfairly) criticize Nylander for being “selfish” and “greedy”, you better not turn a blind eye to Marner, as well.

Speaking of which, I wonder which Leaf opponent Mitch is meeting with right now? It’s always fun to guess.

Thanks for reading!