Maple Leafs reporter sparks controversy over pending UFA Mitch Marner
Photo credit: ElliotLakeToday.com
A reporter of the Maple Leafs made a comment recently that spoke to that of Mitch Marner possibly not having any leadership roles next season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs recently introduced Auston Matthews as the new captain of the team, after it was stripped away from John Tavares, who will now be receiving an "A" on his jersey. It's expected that Morgan Rielly will also have an "A", as he has the most tenure on the team now, which means there is room for one more player to get the final "A".
All signs are pointing to Mitch Marner receiving the final letter, as he was present and front and center at the captaincy switchover ceremony. GM Brad Treliving has not confirmed or denied anything yet, which means there is still a chance that Chris Tanev or William Nylander could be getting the "A" instead.
Prominent Maple Leafs reporter Nick Alberga made a wild statement on "Leafs Morning Take" today, where he said that he feels Mitch Marner should probably not be given any letters on his jersey for next season, thus meaning he will not have a leadership role.
"I think if you're the Maple Leafs, you have a new coach, you want some new blood. I could see Chris Tanev wearing an 'A'. I wonder what that means for a certain guy who's a year away from UFA. My reasoning is, and this is not about Marner -- you are passing the torch to the next wave... You're trying to overturn this roster a bit, Tanev is signed for six years. I think you would be doing to same thing if you brought the same leadership group back."
Nick Alberga's comments caught his co-host Jay Rosehill, who is also a former Leaf, by surprise, and it was so shocking that he almost couldn't believe what Nick had just said.
"Sorry it's musical chairs and you're the odd man out," said Alberga in response to Rosehill's question about whether Marner should wear a letter.
Mitch Marner only has one year remaining on his contract with the Leafs, so given the uncertainty of his future with the team, there's logical reasoning to believe he may not be given a leadership role. John Tavares is also a free agent at the end of next season, but all signs point to him receiving an extension now that he can serve as more of a mentor to the younger players.
Now that Chris Tanev has signed on for the next six years, and William Nylander is about to begin his first year of an eight-year deal, it would make more logical long-term sense for one of them to get the "A" instead of Mitch Marner, and that's exactly the message that Nick Alberga was trying to convey.
Mitch Marner was drafted with the 4th overall pick by the Leafs in 2015, and has played all of his 576 games with the club. In his time with the Leafs, he's managed to score 194 goals and collect 639 points. He had 85 points in 69 games with the team last year.
Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Maple Leafs reporter makes wild suggestion regarding pending UFA Mitch Marner
Maple Leafs reporter makes wild suggestion regarding pending UFA Mitch Marner
Source: HockeyDB
Mitch Marner Stats
Mitch Marner Stats
| POLL | ||
21 AOUT | 85 ANSWERS Maple Leafs reporter sparks controversy over pending UFA Mitch Marner Will this be Mitch Marner's final year with the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 50.6 % |
| No | 42 | 49.4 % |
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