John Tavares makes his feelings known on how $65,418,000 Maple Leafs star has navigated though his contract year

Being a 16-year NHL veteran, John Tavares knows how to navigate a contract year and he commended his teammate Mitch Marner for how he has handled this season.

Marner, who signed a six-year $65,418,000 million contract in 2019 (per Spotrac), has been embroiled in contract debates all year long, and he was also part of trade rumors as he inches toward free agency. It was reported that he was asked to waive his no-trade clause to be part of a potential Mikko Rantanen deal.

While he remains with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner has been through a lot and Tavares gave him a ton of praise.

"He's been great," Tavares said on Wednesday, via Leafslatest. "The easiest part, I think, probably when there's a lot of noise around things, is when you just can go out there and put your gear on and play and do what you've done your whole life and something that you love to do. To play for this club, and certainly being from the GTA, from the city, I know how much he enjoys it and appreciates it."

Marner has been instrumental in getting the Leafs to this point, and while they slipped from first to third in the division, they are only two points back of the Florida Panthers.

Toronto has to determine if they'll extend him or not to avoid losing him for nothing, even if it means disrupting its strong season.

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John Tavares says competition helps in a contract year

With a lot of uncertainty off the ice, Mitch Marner can, according to John Tavares, engross himself in what the team is doing on the ice and become fully focused on it.

John Tavares praised Mitch Marner (Imagn)

"Just with the locker room, with the support around, it's a very tight-knit room, it's a brotherhood in a lot of ways, and how we're always there to support each other and just the enjoyment of going out there, going through the daily grind and everything you do to get ready to play, and then once you're in competition, you just engulf yourself in that and I think that's what he's done," Tavares said on Wednesday, via Leafslatest. "And try not to focus on everything else that can swirl around."

The Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for second in the division with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 83 points and are two behind Florida, so Marner can fully focus on the divisional race for the next few weeks.