The Mitch Marner Saga will hang over the Toronto Maple Leafs for the entirety of the summer and, perhaps, indefinitely.
I’m convinced of it, at this point.
Given the lengths to which William Nylander‘s own more unprecedented and infinitely more tolerable negotiations dragged last season – resolving themselves with literal seconds to spare – all signs seem to indicate that Marner’s will reshape the way we view these types of situations.
This is unchartered territory we’ve stumbled onto here. Nylander never cosied up to rival NHL teams during his contract standoff the prior summer; he never attempted to dictate the negotiations by laundering thinly-veiled “reports” through the Twitter account of one particular media member; he never even said a word.
While not necessarily communicating via his own physical mouth, per se, Marner has seemingly opted for the opposite approach to his Swedish teammate’s. And, honestly, that’s his entirely within his purview. Heck, as someone who happens to run a Leafs site, I’d like to extend a big “thank you” to Mitch for the oodles of free content he’s provided us with throughout the dog days of the summer.
Still, though, this is beginning to get unbearable. We’ve reached the point now in the Marner Saga where offer sheet rumblings regarding the Maple Leafs’ 21-year-old, two-time scoring leader don’t so much as even raise an eyebrow within the fanbase. They don’t believe them, quite frankly; either from a lack of confidence in an NHL GM’s ability to pull one off, or in Marner’s actual willingness to spurn his hometown team and leave the Maple Leafs.
Speaking of leaving the Maple Leafs…
Many teams have spoken w Marner’s agent about a possible offer sheet, and, yes, CBJ are among them. But I see no indication Marner wants to leave TML. Also, #CBJ convinced Leafs would/could match any offer sheet, perhaps by trading Nylander.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 12, 2019
See where the summer goes. https://t.co/gcn092r1dm
See, this is what I’m talking about.
In theory, the Columbus Blue Jackets could very well tender an offer sheet to Mitch Marner; they possess the draft capital and cap space required to do so at the highest possible tier, along with a glaring roster need. Not to mention, it would also make a ton of sense for Kyle Dubas to baulk at said offer, as well. With Columbus reeling from the losses of Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel all in the days following July 1st – along with President and team architect, John Davidson prior – those four first rounders could easily become lottery-bound in the years to come.
So, what’s the hold-up? If the deal makes sense for all parties involved (Marner, the Blue Jackets, and the Maple Leafs), why not pull the trigger? Well, because that would actually require Marner to play and, more importantly, live in Columbus.
The faint “woosh” you’re hearing is the sound of endorsement dollars evaporating into thin air.
The tweet above’s author, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, makes a good point: he’s seen no indication that Marner wants to leave Toronto. Neither has anyone within the Toronto or national media markets, either. Elliotte Friedman, one of the most well-connected insiders in hockey, has repeatedly stated on Sportsnet’s 31 Thoughts Podcast that his belief is Marner ultimately wants to remain a Maple Leaf and the Maple Leafs ultimately feel the same way.
And when Marner eventually relents and signs for a reasonable, yet insanely high price (likely $9.5 to $10 million), those sentiments will be reiterated. Dubas will state that it was always the Leafs’ intention to keep Marner in the fold as long as possible, and Marner will declare that he never once wanted to leave his beloved hometown team.
There will be reports in the lead-up to this inevitable outcome, of course, that go in a different direction. Every NHL front office will have reportedly”discussed the possibility of offer sheeting Marner” before ultimately keeping that possibility as what it always was: Just a discussion.
Executives will pose to their bosses the option of travelling down an intriguing and little-worn road for the betterment of their hockey team all to then merely retreat to the status quo, as usual.
It’s a song and dance for which most hockey fans don’t require an encore.
Here’s the deal: Enjoy your summer, stay off Twitter, and soak up the sun knowing full well that Mitch Marner doesn’t want to spend the prime of his career in Columbus, Ohio just as much as you don’t want him to, either.
At least, until the next Dreger report drops and we all lose our minds once again.