In 2024, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ terrible postseason play persisted as they lost to the Boston Bruins in the opening round. With Mitch Marner in the midst of them, Maple Leafs speculations have already begun to intensify now that their season is finished.
The Maple Leafs selected Mitch Marner in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, selecting him fourth overall. Although he has played his whole eight-year career in Toronto, it appears that this offseason, things may change. As per NHL source Frank Seravelli of Daily Faceoff, there is extremely slim probability that Mitch Marner will play for the Maple Leafs for a ninth season. In an interview with the DFO Rundown podcast, Seravelli gave very little chance of coming back.
I believe the likelihood that he will be a Leaf the next season is five percent, if not less. Mitch Marner, a forward heading into his final season on a hefty six-year, $65,408,000 contract, has been the subject of Maple Leafs rumors for a short while now. Although it doesn’t sound like it will happen, he would prefer to stay with the team that picked him.
Marner, who turned 27 in May, is a young player who likely draw interest from a number of teams this summer. Throughout his career, he has been incredibly productive, accumulating 639 points in 576 regular season games, scoring 194 goals and dishing out 445 assists. Seravelli says that Marner has to be moved. The most recent speculations involving him are with the Maple Leafs, and Toronto has to make some significant adjustments.
It’s not a choice; they have to make significant changes. After the season concluded, Brendan Shanahan stated, “The message is that everything is on the table and we have to consider it all.” I just cannot fathom going through this again for a tenth season in a row. Having invested so much in your core, even though you know going into the season that you would either move Mitch Marner or sign him to an extension makes no sense. It makes no sense for him to start this year, the last year of his contract.
On May 20, Seravalli stated, “I believe there’s a single-digit percent possibility that Mitch Marner is wearing a Maple Leafs uniform starting in October. (Heavy H/T)
It will be intriguing to watch how Marner’s situation with the Maple Leafs develops. They have already made one significant change: Sheldon Keefe’s coach Craig Berube was hired. Reorganizing the roster is the next item on the to-do list.
