While the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers get ready for a do-or-die Game 7, there’s just as much talk off the ice, especially about Mitch Marner. The star winger’s $65.4 million contract is almost up, and questions are swirling after another underwhelming playoff run.
Marner has struggled this postseason, and fans took notice during the Leafs’ 6-1 loss to Florida. He had just one shot on goal and a string of costly mistakes, many calling it his worst NHL playoff game ever.
On the May 16 episode of ‘Donnie and Dhali,’ Nick Kypreos discussed Marner’s contract situation and was quite critical of the Maple Leafs’ management.
Toronto Maple Leafs Should’ve Acted Sooner on Mitch Marner
People argue that Marner performs better in the regular season than in the playoffs. Toronto is almost out of playoff contention, so Marner needs to perform strongly in the final game, but Kypreos has some more in his mind.
“Oh, without a doubt. I would never have let it get to this point. And of course, everybody says, well, he has no move. I still would have told him back in the summer that if you’re not planning on signing during the season, please give me a list of teams that you will go to and negotiate. And to have a guy in his prime like that walk out the door for nothing, I think was a calculated risk that looks like it’s not going to turn out very well for the organization,” mentioned Kypreos.
Kypreos believes Toronto made a mistake by not pushing the conversation back in 2021. Even with Marner’s no-move clause, he says the Leafs should’ve tried to get ahead of it. Letting a top talent potentially walk for nothing, he says, is a massive risk.
They recognize the importance of not losing such a valuable asset at this stage by doing nothing. Marner’s future hangs in the balance, which could define the Leafs’ offseason strategy. He believes staying silent instead of acting was risky, and it looks like both could go wrong for the Leafs in the coming months.
If Toronto falls short once again, the scrutiny surrounding Marner and the Core Four will only intensify, and the front office may be forced to reckon with decisions they didn’t make when they had the chance.