NHL insider Chris Johnston shared his thoughts on Mitch Marner's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs on the "First Up 1050" podcast on Jan. 7, 2025. Marner, in the final year of his contract, has been playing well this season.
He has 14 goals and 42 assists in 41 games. Marner ranks second in the NHL for assists and fourth for points.
Johnston said talks are ongoing between Marner’s agents and the Leafs, but no official offers have been made. He added that Marner might look at free agency next summer.
"My understanding is there's ongoing dialogue between the agents for those players and the Leafs. I don't think they’re exchanging official offers at this point. I don’t think they're at that level yet, but I think it’s a process playing out.
"Look, when you get to a certain point as a player—I'm thinking specifically of Marner—it might make sense, if you're close to July 1, to take a peek at free agency."
John Tavares’ situation is different from Mitch Marner’s. Tavares clearly wants to stay in Toronto. His age and career stage make his situation unique. Tavares’ $77 million contract also ends after this season. He has scored 19 goals and 21 assists in 40 games.
"Tavares is a different situation because it's very apparent he wants to stay in Toronto. That doesn’t mean he’ll stay for free, but he’s at a different stage than Marner," Johnston said.
Marner’s next contract could be very different from his current one. At 28 years old, he is a top player. His current contract has a cap hit of $10,901,333 per season. Johnston believes a deal could happen during the season, but he doesn’t expect it soon.
"Mitch Marner’s next deal, wherever it’s signed, is going to look very different. There’s still a world where it could happen during this season, but I don’t have any reason to believe it’s coming tonight or tomorrow. We’ll have to see how it plays out," Johnston added.
Marner’s play this season strengthens his value. His plus/minus rating is +7, and he contributes on the power play. He averages 21 minutes and 26 seconds of ice time per game. Marner has also scored four game-winning goals.
Both Mitch Marner and John Tavares will be free agents after the 2024-25 season.
Mitch Marner and Leafs register 3-2 win against Flyers
The Toronto Maple Leafs won 3-2 in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Tyson Foerster scored first for the Flyers. Matthew Knies tied it 1-1 for the Leafs. Oliver Ekman-Larsson gave Toronto a 2-1 lead. Scott Laughton tied it 2-2 for Philadelphia.
Morgan Rielly scored the game-winner in overtime, assisted by Auston Matthews. Matthews had two assists in his return from injury. Dennis Hildeby made 30 saves for the Leafs. Jake McCabe left with an upper-body injury after a fight. The Leafs have now won four games in a row.