Former NHLer Advises Maple Leafs’ $65 Million Forward to Pull a LeBron Move

Former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore has given some advice to Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner.

Marner has been the subject of trade rumors all summer long as he’s entering the final year of the six-year $65.41 million deal he signed with Toronto back in 2019. With Marner entering the final year of his deal, many insiders expected him to be traded but that hasn’t been the case.

Instead, it now appears Marner will start the year with Toronto and Commodore thinks the skilled forward should play the year out and then walk in free agency. Commodore points to what LeBron James did as he left his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat to pursue a championship, as Marner would leave his hometown Maple Leafs to go to another team.

“From the outside looking in, I think if I was Mitch Marner, I think if I’m the Leafs, like, Hey, look, you’re gonna have this guy, you know, not even. What are you going to do? He’s gonna want to raise, like, are we gonna pay another forward like that a bunch of money, or do we try and I know he has a no-move clause and everything like, let’s get him out and see if we can get some pieces, get some cap space something like that, more Berube-type players,” Commodore said to Bodog.

“If I’m Mitch Marner, look I don’t know Mitch, I wouldn’t know him if he walked in the room here.  But, you know, these guys, if I was Mitch Marner, I think I’ve seen enough, maybe it’s time  for me to get out of Toronto. I’ve had a nice run here, and things haven’t worked out. We didn’t win, but, you know, I am a good player. Maybe I’ll you know. It’s so, LeBron. I don’t like LeBron but ‘take my talents elsewhere,'” Commodore added.

Marner does have a full no-movement clause so if he doesn’t want to be traded, he can’t be and then could leave in free agency, like James did back in 2010.

This past season, Marner recorded 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points in 69 games.

Marner Wants to Remain With the Maple Leafs

Although Commodore is advising Marner to walk in free agency, the forward has made it clear he wants to remain in Toronto.

After the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Bruins, Marner spoke to the media and said he wanted to remain with his hometown team for the foreseeable future.

“That’d be a goal. I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I’ve grown up here. We’ll start thinking about that now and trying to figure something out… It means the world to me,” Marner told the media on May 6.

“We’re looked upon as kind of Gods here, to be honest, and something that you really appreciate. The love that you get here from this fan base and this attention is none like any other. You saw with the (NBA’s Toronto) Raptors a couple of years ago, the love (fans) still have for a lot of those players (who helped them win a championship in 2019) that they had to trade off this year. That’s the love you want,” Marner added.

Whether or not Toronto will re-sign Marner is to be seen.

Toronto Head Coach Looking Forward to Coaching Marner

During the speculation of all the trade rumors involving Marner, Craig Berube who was hired as the new coach of the Maple Leafs said he was looking forward to coaching the skilled winger.

“He’s a character guy, a great person,” Berube said to the media on June 29 after the draft. “I’m looking forward to coaching him.”

Berube was given a four-year deal to be the new Maple Leafs head coach. He had previously coached the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues. He had won a cup with the Blues in 2019.