The Toronto Maple Leafs have been forced to shift focus to the upcoming season. The team management has shown it is not afraid to make significant changes, with president Brendan Shanahan departing after an 11-year tenure.
The front office has also indicated that they will be retaining general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.
All eyes now turn to the futures of the player group, especially the two “Core Four” members who are also pending UFAs: John Tavares and Mitch Marner.
NHL Insider Weighs in on Maple Leafs Duo John Tavares and Mitch Marner’s Situations
On the Monday, May 26, edition of his “32 Thoughts” podcast, Sportsnet analyst Elliotte Friedman shared his opinion of the contract situations surrounding Tavares and Marner.
Tavares, 34, is in the final year of his seven-year, $77 million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Friedman stated that both Tavares and the Maple Leafs appear motivated to extend their relationship.
“Tavares, there was a lot of talk about how he wants to stay, and they want him to stay, as long as neither side is unreasonable. You have to believe a deal gets done here,” Friedman said.
“Tavares obviously can’t ask for $8 million a year, and I don’t think if the Leafs offer $1 million a year, it’s gonna work. But there is something here that I think both sides can be happy with, and it’s just a matter of getting there.”
Monday morning 32 Thoughts playoff reaction, news, information and analysis podcast
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Tavares recorded 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in the regular season and five goals and two assists in the playoffs. Friedman also noted that Mitch Marner’s future is more uncertain.
“Marner, I think, first of all, you know, there’s a lot of noise, obviously. I think the Maple Leafs are gonna ask for clarity. Just where is this going? Is it 100% you are testing free agency on July 1, or is there any conversation that can be had here? And that’s what I think they’ll do: they’ll ask that first and see what the answer is and go from there,” Friedman added.
Marner signed a six-year, $65.358 million contract extension in 2019 and refused to negotiate a new deal during the hockey season. He broke the 100-point milestone for the first time in his career in the regular season, with 27 goals and 75 assists. However, he went missing in the postseason, scoring a woeful two goals in 13 playoff appearances.
Another player to watch is 22-year-old power forward Matthew Knies, whose three-year entry-level $2.775-million deal is expiring, leaving him as a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer. Toronto values the young player highly and reportedly turned down a proposition from the Carolina Hurricanes to swap him for star forward Mikko Rantanen in March.
