The Toronto Maple Leafs’ brutal postseason performance continued in 2024 as they were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the first round. With their season over, Maple Leafs rumors have already started picking up with Mitch Marner in the middle of them.
Mitch Marner was a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, going No. 4 overall to the Maple Leafs. He has spent his entire eight-year career in Toronto, but it sounds like that could change this offseason.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravelli of Daily Faceoff, there is a minuscule chance that Mitch Marner will play a ninth season with the Maple Leafs. During an appearance on the DFO Rundown podcast, Seravelli placed the odds of him returning very low.
“I think there’s a five percent chance or maybe even less that he’ll be a Leaf next season,” Seravelli said. (H/T Heavy)
Entering the final season of a massive six-year, $65,408,000 contract, Maple Leafs rumors have surrounded Mitch Marner for a little while now. He would like to remain with the franchise that selected him, but that doesn’t sound like it will be in the cards.
Marner turned only 27 years old in May and should be an attractive trade target for several teams this offseason. He has been highly productive in his career, recording 639 points in 576 regular season games, scoring 194 goals with 445 assists.
According to Seravelli, moving Marner is a necessity. Toronto needs to make some big changes and Maple Leafs rumors have involved him the most to this point.
“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. (H/T Heavy)
It will be interesting to see how things play out between Marner and the Maple Leafs. They already made one big change, hiring Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe as coach. Next on the to-do list will be shaking up the roster.
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