Mitch Marner has one foot out the door for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he is too good for the team to just let him walk into unrestricted free agency.
The statistics speak for themselves, and despite losing the playoffs, the Leafs should keep Mitch Marner on their roster. Out of the core four, he earned the second most points during this playoff season (13), which comes out to exactly one point per game. This is just behind William Nylander's 15 points (1.15 points per game).
There is no doubt that Marner is an exceptional player, and despite the fact that he earned the fewest goals of the core four at only two, and contributed absolutely nothing in the final game against Florida, he did earn the most assists at nine during the playoffs. Unfortunately for Toronto, it seems that Marner is fine leaving the team and finding a new one; his recent comments have been anything but consoling to fans who wish for him to stay.
"Loved being here" is speaking in the past tense and definitely doesn't sound like something someone would say if they were still committed to sticking around. Marner is only 28 years old and still has a lot of playing years ahead of him, and that, coupled with his clear frustrations with the Leafs' lack of ability to advance in the playoffs, shows that the possibility of him leaving the team is a very real one.
Now it is obvious why the Leafs should do everything they can to keep Marner, his skill, being one of the best wingers in the game right now, and his drive are something the Leafs need. The team is built around the core four, and losing one could very well send them tumbling down the rankings during the regular season and make getting into the playoffs a challenge, let alone winning the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs leadership may still be in shock from the loss, and that is exactly why they shouldn't make any big decisions yet on who will remain and who will go when it comes to the roster. The core four may have failed during the playoffs, but like I stated above, Marner earned the second-most points, and the numbers don't lie. Losing him would be losing a major asset, and if he does become a free agent, it won't be long before he gets snatched up by another team.
Whatever the Leafs have to do to keep Marner around, they should. The core four was formed during Keefe's time as head coach and Marner being a part of the core makes him one of the key pillars to the team. On top of that, Berube has only been in charge for a year and his changes to the team may not have taken full effect yet. This may sound like wishful thinking, but perhaps the four just haven't found their groove yet under Berube's leadership.
Marner may be an expensive player to keep around (being paid $10.9 million per year), but his point per game, in my opinion, justifies this cost because the Leafs pay Matthews $13.25 million per year just for him to go ahead and contribute less during the playoffs (it should be noted Matthews was suffering from an injury). But perhaps Marner could be kept for less, considering his performance in Game 7. And hey, there are still some reasons for him to stay.