In a new book by ESPN reporter Craig Custance, former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas revealed what he considers his biggest mistake during his tenure in Canada.
Despite the Leafs’ challenges regarding the future of their “Core Four,” Dubas stands by the decision to sign John Tavares while regretting how he handled the contracts of William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews.
“The biggest mistake I think I’ve made in my whole time here has been not taking care of the three incumbent contracts,” Dubas told Custance for his book, per Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. “(William) Nylander was up, (Mitch) Marner and (Auston) Matthews could have been done on July 1 extensions.”
Dubas admitted that the timing of the Tavares deal impacted negotiations with these players. The Leafs GM signed Tavares to a seven-year, $77 million contract in July 2018. He acknowledged that the deal had significant ramifications, but it was more about the timing of the deal than the deal itself.
“The thing I learned was once we signed John to the (AAV) we did, it lifted the lid on the entire ceiling,” Dubas said.
Dubas admitted that once Tavares was signed, it raised the salary cap ceiling, complicating further contract talks, including the pending ones related to Marner’s expiring deal and his potential trade away from the organization.
Maple Leafs’ Nylander, Marner, and Matthews Contract Negotiations
The negotiations for Nylander, Marner, and Matthews are living proof of the difficulties Dubas faced and how signing extremely large deals can impact the future of sports franchises.
Nylander’s contract was finalized at the last minute, right before the deadline which could have forced him to miss the 2018-19 season. The forward signed a six-year, $41.4 million extension in 2018.
Marner, meanwhile, held out before signing his six-year, $65.41 million contract in September 2019. These near back-to-back holdouts reflected the challenges Dubas had to navigate and how much his hand was forced.
For his part, Matthews ended with a team-high, five-year, $58.2 million contract signed in February 2019.
Both Matthews and Nylander have already extended their deals by signing new hefty contracts with Toronto. Nylander recently signed an eight-year, $92 million contract on January 8, 2024. Matthews secured a four-year contract worth $53 million on August 23, 2023.
The only pending free agent among the group is Mitch Marner, whose days in Toronto seem to be numbered.
Mitch Marner’s Situation and Trade Speculations
Mitch Marner’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs is currently uncertain. Despite another disappointing playoff performance, Marner expressed his desire to remain in Toronto.
“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 said on May 6.
However, Marner is entering the final season of his contract and the Maple Leafs must decide whether to trade him now or risk losing him for nothing in July 2025.
Marner’s no-move clause further complicates potential trade deals, however, as any transaction would require of Marner’s approval to go through.
NHL insider Chris Johnston weighed in on Marner’s future on a July 8 episode of the SDPN podcast.
“It’s probably slightly more likely he walks than signs an extension but not significantly so. If we were setting the betting lines now the favorite would be (he) walks as a free agent,” Johnston said.
The Maple Leafs organization has been relatively silent regarding Marner’s situation. The speculation about his future, reasonably, will only grow until there is any official announcement related to his future whether that’s via extension or trade.
Marner scored 26 goals and 59 assists in 69 games through the 2023-24 season but could only add 3 points in 7 postseason outings.
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Maple Leafs’ GM: ‘Biggest Mistake’ Involved Mitch Marner Contract