NHL insider Frank Seravalli doesn’t think Mitch Marner will be a Toronto Maple Leaf next season.
Marner who’s set to enter the final year of his six-year $65,408,000 deal has been the subject of trade rumors since the season ended. Although Marner has expressed interest in remaining with the Maple Leafs, Servalli gives it less than a five percent chance of happening.
“I think there’s a five percent chance or maybe even less that he’ll be a Leaf next season,” Sersvalli said on DFO Rundown on May 19.
Seravalli then went on his show on May 20 and doubled down, as he believes Marner will likely be traded this summer.
“They have to make big changes, it’s not a choice. Brendan Shanahan said after the season ended, we have to consider everything, everything is on the table, that’s the message. I can’t imagine doing this again for a ninth consecutive season. After spending this much on your core, knowing that it makes zero sense to even enter the season where you are either signing Mitch Marner to an extension or you trade him. To start this year in the final year of his deal makes zero sense. I think there’s a single-digit percent chance that Mitch Marner is in a Maple Leafs’ uniform starting in October,” Seravalli said on May 20.
Marner is in the final year of his deal that will pay him $10,903,000 and he will be a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Marner Open to Remaining With Toronto
Marner has been with the Maple Leafs since the 2016-17 NHL season after being drafted fourth overall by Toronto in the 2015 NHL draft.
Since making his debut, Marner has been one of the Maple Leafs’ top players. He also is a local player, so after Toronto was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs he expressed interest in re-signing.
“That would be a goal,” Marner said, via NHL.com. “I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I’ve grown up here. We’ll start thinking about that now and try to figure something out.”
Last season, Marner recorded 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points in 69 games. He recorded 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points in 7 playoffs.
Maple Leafs Hire Craig Berube
Toronto announced the hiring of Craig Berube as their new head coach on May 17. He will formally be introduced as the head coach on May 21.
The Maple Leafs fired Sheldon Keefe after Toronto was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs again.
Berube becomes the 32nd head coach in Maple Leafs history and is hired by Toronto after six years in St. Louis.
With the Blues, Berube won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and the coach was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2019, which is awarded to the Coach of the Year.
As a head coach in the NHL, Berube is 281-190-72 all-time.
Berube is also a former NHL player as he played over 1,000 games in the league. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. Berube finished his career with 61 goals and 98 assists for 159 points and a staggering 3,149 penalty minutes.
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Insider: ‘5% Chance’ Maple Leafs Keep $65 Million Winger for 2024