The Maple Leafs are closing in on a huge Stanley Cup Playoff run that could define this franchise, but now Elliotte Friedman has begun talking about the future.
Things in the NHL move fast however, as the team are now looking to the future, with a potential long-term extension for Mitch Marner upcoming as his contract runs out after next season. When asked about the situation, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman has revealed that both parties want to make a deal work, but as of yet, there's been no major talks as of yet, with two veterans likely to come first.
"I do think it's their goal to keep Marner. I don't have any doubt. I think they know Marner and Matthews want to play with each other. I believe that's been a conversation in the past, where Matthews has made it very clear that he wants to play with Marner and Marner has made it clear that he's happy to do it and, look, at the end of he day, there's still going to be a negotiation. We'll see where that goes and we're going to punt that to the summer because they're not going to do that now, but I absolutely believe their long-distance plan is to keep them together for a long time.
"Before we turn the page on the Leafs... I looked into it, and it doesn't sound like those [contract talks] are active right now. Domi and Bertuzzi are probably bigger deals, so those other ones are easy to do right now, and it's great for both [Bobby McMann and Simon Benoit].
I don't think there's anything close on Domi or Bertuzzi."
"Before we turn the page on the Leafs... I looked into it, and it doesn't sound like those [contract talks] are active right now. Domi and Bertuzzi are probably bigger deals, so those other ones are easy to do right now, and it's great for both [Bobby McMann and Simon Benoit].
I don't think there's anything close on Domi or Bertuzzi."
Like Matthews and Nylander, Marner will be looking for huge numbers on his next deal, and while he wants to continue playing alongside No. 34, with both players famously elevating each other, but it's not going to be easy if this team want to build a consistent winner around their stars.
Both Bertuzzi and Domi, who have been fantastic contributors this season are free agents this upcoming summer, and while the team may look to their playoff performances before making big decisions, it appears as though they want both to remain beyond this summer. Nothing is imminent for either contract discussion, but for now it's clear that Toronto love their current group,
Source: Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
2 AVRIL | 209 ANSWERS Insider gives contract update on Mitch Marner, Bertuzzi and Max Domi Which of these three Maple Leafs are most likely to re-sign? | ||
| Max Domi | 46 | 22 % |
| Tyler Bertuzzi | 31 | 14.8 % |
| Mitch Marner | 132 | 63.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
Latest 10 stories
