The Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from Stanley Cup contention by the Boston Bruins on May 4 so the next thing in the franchise agenda was the final media availability of the season, held on Monday, May 6.
One of the most anticipated interviews was the one related to underperforming Leafs forward Mitch Marner, who finished the playoffs with just 3 points through Game 7 of the first-round series ending in another early elimination.
Judging by Marner’s answers to reporters covering the event, the Leafs superstar sounded convinced about staying put in Toronto going forward as he enters the final season under contract with the organization.
Leafs F Mitch Marner explains that the goal is to be with Toronto long term, and what it means to be a Maple Leaf.
“That would be the goal,” Marner told reporters on May 6 when asked if he wants to be with Toronto long term. “I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I grew up here.
“I’ll start thinking about (a contract extension) now and try to figure something out.”
Marner will become an unrestricted free agent in July 2025. His current contract includes a full no-move clause (NMC), however, meaning he can block any trade and put Toronto in a hard position during the next few months leaving no room for the franchise to deal him away and retool the roster unless he wants to help.
Will Mitch Marner & Maple Leafs Enter a Cold Ward?
Marner’s intention of signing a contract extension with the Leafs can be seen as a logical decision or a surprising one, depending on how you look at it.
Following a rough playoff series against the Bruins that sent Toronto home before advancing past the first round for the seventh time in eight years, Marner has surely heard the critics.
That, however, doesn’t seem to have impacted his mindset and his plans going forward. If Marner wants to stay in Toronto and the Leafs want to sign him, the franchise might actually find itself in a prime position to ink the forward to a cheaper extension as Marner doesn’t have a desire to leave.
If Toronto wants to explore the possibility of moving on from him, however, things can get difficult.
Marner could make it hard for Toronto to find a trade partner by blocking any move he’s not interested in because of the NMC baked into his current contract. He could also hurt the Leafs’ potential trade return as he holds all the leverage and teams would take advantage of Toronto’s precarious, “desperate-sale” approach to trading Marner.
This, however, doesn’t mean Marner is a clear-cut winner in this situation. The Maple Leafs could just keep waiting while trying to negotiate a lower-value deal with him before next year’s trade deadline, limit his minutes on the ice, and in a worst-case scenario ostracize him trying to force Marner to accept a trade somewhere–anywhere.
Mitch Marner’s Leafs Teammates Back Him Up Following Criticism
While Marner’s defensive contributions through the seven-game series the Leafs played against Boston were notable, his offensive production was subpar at best, and nightmarish at worst.
Marner finished the 2024 postseason with just 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in seven games even though he played 149 minutes, the most among forwards by a sizable 16-minute margin over center John Tavares (133).
All Leafs players speaking to media members on Monday, May 6, praised Marner’s efforts and didn’t sound upset about his performance during the playoffs, blaming the elimination on the group as a whole instead of on the winger.
“In my time here I’ve learned that there’s always a scapegoat,” Auston Matthews told reporters on May 6. “There’s always a narrative, there’s always something. But we love (Marner).”
“He’s an incredible human being, friend,” Morgan Rielly said on Monday. “Love the guy. There’s always someone taking heat here regardless of how it’s going, but we love him.”
In eight playoffs with Toronto (seven ending in the first round, the other one in the second round), Marner leads all Leafs with 50 points through 57 playoff games.
Changes are likely coming for the Leafs but just a reminder that ‘blowing it up’ is not easy with core guys with full no-move clauses. Players have lots of leverage with those clauses. Trades are rarely full value as a result. Something to remember in the weeks ahead.
His situation as the only “core four” member of the Leafs with his contract expiring after next season and still young at 27 years old has Marner looking as the “odd man out” within the organization, and insiders think the Leafs will try to move him this summer.
Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon named a few teams, including the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks as a potential landing spot for Marner if he waves his NMC.
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Mitch Marner’s Intentions Putting Leafs’ Future in Peril?