As Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner enters the final season of his $65.4 million contract, the franchise finds itself in a hard-to-navigate situation that will bring back familiar memories.
Just last season, the Leafs had to deal with a similar situation as fellow star forward William Nylander, who played through the season without an extension, took Toronto to the finish line before eventually signing an eight-year, $92 million deal on January 2024.
NHL insider Chris Johnston appeared on TSN’s OverDrive show on August 26 and weighed in on the timing of a potential contract extension for Maple Leafs’ Marner, suggesting that the ideal scenario would be to ink such a deal after winning the Stanley Cup in June 2025, providing the franchise can reach those heights.
“The perfect time would be after you win a Stanley Cup next June and you make that announcement,” Johnston said.
Johnston acknowledged the risks involved in waiting so much, however, particularly highlighting the probable fear that losing Marner without any return if a deal isn’t reached in time would instill into the Maple Leafs brass.
“There would be concern about losing the player for nothing-that’s kind of where they got to last year with Nylander,” Johnston said.
The idea of waiting until after a potential Stanley Cup victory to sign Marner would undoubtedly be a bold move.
While Marner had a strong regular season last year, posting 85 points in 69 games, his playoff performance left much to be desired, managing only three points in seven games.
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