3 key points on how the Rogers/Bell MLSE deal affects the Toronto Maple Leafs

Major business decisions could be halted for the time being

When I read about this deal, a lightbulb went off. You see, whenever companies go through acquisitions, takeovers, mergers, or buyouts, major business decisions get halted.

For instance, companies implement policies such as temporary pay freezes, hiring new staff, investing in property, plant, and equipment, or slashing research and development and marketing budgets.

What does this mean for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

This business deal could be the reason for the Mitch Marner contract negotiations hitting an impasse. When William Nylander signed his deal last season, it was under the Rogers/Bell administration. However, when it came time to re-up Marner (and John Tavares as well), the Leafs board pumped the breaks.

Perhaps it could be a question of the club’s upper echelons waiting for the dust to settle before clearing the dollar amounts on Marner’s new deal. Or, it could be a situation in which the bean counters at Rogers want to make sure everything is squared away before inking Marner to a new deal.

From that perspective, it makes total sense that there is such hermeticism surrounding the Marner negotiations.

Here’s the reason why:

Any who comments on an ongoing business deal, such as the Bell/Rogers deal, could be charged with violating confidentiality rules. This situation is commonly called “insider trading.”

Suppose that Marner’s agent publicly states: We have a deal in place. All we need to do is wait for the finance people at Rogers to greenlight the deal.

Such comments could be misconstrued as revealing insider information. So, the best way to go is to keep mum on the issue. Marner won’t comment anything on the negotiations because his lawyers told him that anything he says could be used against him.

Meanwhile, Marner’s agent is walking the tightrope because he won’t break confidentiality on his client’s behalf. This is all just speculation, but I'm just trying to illustrate how this deal could potentially affect things.

Ultimately, it seems to me that Leafs fans should breathe a sigh of relief. It doesn’t appear that Marner wants out. It’s just that the ongoing background business situation could be the only thing holding up Marner and Tavares’ contract extensions.