Auston Matthews delivers take on $65,358,000 Mitch Marner's future in Toronto with trade rumors afloat

Auston Matthews shared his perspective on the ongoing trade rumors surrounding Mitch Marner's future in Toronto. Following the Maple Leafs' disappointing first-round playoff exit to the Boston Bruins, speculations have been rife regarding Marner's tenure with the team.

As he enters the final year of his six-year, $65,358,000 contract signed in 2019, discussions about Marner's potential move have intensified. Auston Matthews firmly reckons that Marner should remain with the team.

In an interview with NHL.com, the Leafs center expressed his support for Marner, emphasizing their admiration for him:

"All I'm going to say is we love Mitch,” the Toronto center said Friday. “Obviously there's a lot of noise involving all that, but we love ‘Mitchie.’ He's a great person, great teammate. I can't speak highly enough about him.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs roster consists of a well-established core four of forwards: Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares. Given Matthews and Nylander's recent long-term extensions, Marner appears to be the prime candidate for a possible trade.

Despite both Tavares and Marner having contracts expiring at the end of the forthcoming season, Tavares' hefty $11 million annual value might pose challenges for other teams, particularly considering his age.

According to multiple hockey sources, the Toronto Maple Leafs are reported to be gearing up to offer Mitch Marner a contract extension soon.

Auston Matthews included in Four Nations Face-Off

As expected, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews was named in Team USA for the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2025. The announcement of the initial six selections was made on Friday.

As part of the initial six members announced for Team USA, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, and Adam Fox have also been selected alongside Matthews to represent the United States at the upcoming competition.

The Four Nations Face-Off tournament, hosted by the NHL, is set to commence on Feb. 12, 2025. The tournament will bring together teams from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States to compete in a round-robin format.

The matchups will take place at the iconic Montreal Bell Centre and Boston TD Garden, providing an exciting stage for these nations to showcase their skills and battle for victory.