Mitch Marner’s camp has threatened the Toronto Maple Leafs that he will play in Switzerland next year. Going overseas might be beneficial to all.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are seeing pressure amped up with time ticking down until the start of training camp. The main goal this offseason was for Toronto to get their star forward Mitch Marner signed. .
A new report, via Darren Dreger, is that Darren Ferris, Marner’s representative has been in discussion with the Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions), a team based out of Zürich, Switzerland.
This is likely a ploy by Ferris to force the Leafs to accept the figure and terms Marner’s camp believes he should earn. The same tactic has been used before by other agents, but it seems to be a specialty of Ferris.
The question remains, is there really a possibility that Marner leaves his friends and family to chase a bigger payday on another continent?
Can It be True?
What hurts the Marner camp is the belief that he wants to return to the NHL and more specifically to Toronto. Also, thanks to his agent’s record and his closeness to his family, the idea of him playing overseas seems far fetched.
Reports are accurate the Marner camp has had discussions with Zurich. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him go there to train in early Sept. Dubas and Ferris met last week. Positive talks, but no progress.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 20, 2019
A number of Ferris’ clients have hinted at playing overseas though none of them has followed through. Sam Bennett, Andreas Athanasiou, and Josh Anderson all made similar threats through Ferris while negotiating their contracts.
In Anderson’s case, Ferris went with what might be a familiar play, suggesting that his client will play in Europe. Back in September of 2017, he emailed Mark Scheig to leak plans that his client may be interested in playing hockey in Switzerland.
There is no doubt that Kyle Dubas and the management team are well aware of Ferris’ track record. They will surely consider this when evaluating the possibility that Marner leaves the continent to ply his trade elsewhere.
There is also the possibility that Marner heads to Zürich to speak with team executives. That might apply more pressure on Toronto and provide the appearance that the threat is legitimate. Unfortunately for Ferris and Marner, history suggests that it isn’t and the Toronto Maple Leafs likely won’t be sweating as a result of this report.
Repercussions of Leaving North America
In order to understand what a move to Switzerland could mean for Marner, we will defer to the collective bargaining agreement. It explains that by leaving the NHL, Marner’s rights remain with the Maple Leafs.
Article 13, subsection 23 states:
"In the event a professional or former professional Player plays in a league outside North America after the start of the NHL Regular Season, other than on Loan from his Club, he may thereafter play in the NHL during that Playing Season (including Playoffs) only if he has first either cleared or been obtained via Waivers. For the balance of the Playing Season, any such Player who has been obtained via Waivers may be Traded or Loaned only after again clearing Waivers or through Waiver claim. This section shall not apply to a Player on the Reserve List or Restricted Free Agent List of an NHL Club with whom the Player is signing an NHL SPC or is party to an existing SPC with such NHL Club."
Should Marner follow through on the vague threat of playing in Europe, he would be no further ahead next year. With his rights still belonging to the Toronto Maple Leafs, they could call his bluff and hold firm on their offer. If Marner played overseas and then wanted to return to the NHL, the bargaining process would start over again with the club next offseason. Should that happen, the Leafs might be far more willing to believe that Marner would play elsewhere if he already had.
In all likelihood, that won’t happen. However, Marner should explore spending some time in Zürich.
If Marner wanted to go to Auston Matthews’ former club, ZSC Lions, training camp this season, it might actually be the best decision for him. In terms of compensation, Marner would just be giving up his per diem meal allowances and the lodging provided by the Leafs while training camp is ongoing in the NHL.
Considering that Marner is pursuing a contract that would pay him eight figures per year, he shouldn’t be too concerned about losing the money dedicated to covering his meals.
If Marner were in Switzerland training, he would still be getting in shape. This could help avoid the slow start he witnessed from his teammate last season, William Nylander. Joining ZSC Lions for camp would allow Marner to use the leverage that Ferris is seeking in negotiations. That could possibly bring both parties closer together on an agreement.
If in fact a few weeks in Zürich is the catalyst to finalizing a contract between Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs, then he should go.
Ideally, the two sides can come to an agreement ahead of training camp. However, whatever it takes for Marner to be suited up and in the lineup for the first game of the season should be explored.