Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner – Hero or Villain?

Mitch Marner’s standing among Toronto Maple Leafs fans will be left to debate and ponder over the coming months until he signs a new contract…or doesn’t.

Tuesday saw a great weight being lifted for Toronto Maple Leafs fans as the centre piece to the team’s new regime of talent, Auston Matthews, signed his five-year, $58.17 million deal. There seemed to be a collective “Okay, here we go!” with regards to general manager Kyle Dubas’ plan to get the contracts for his young starts done.

William Nylander…done. Matthews…done.

There was a plethora of comments that poured onto social media sites such as Twitter and the like, both positive and negative about the Matthews signing. Some said it was good, while others believed the Leafs paid too much.

One thing is for certain; at the very least it gives the GM a more concrete idea as to where things stand and what parts he needs to move and/or kick contract tires on. (I.e. negotiating deals with Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, etc.).

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You would not need to have much of a feeling about the turning of the cosmos to know that as soon as Matthews’ deal was signed, the attention would then turn to Mitch Marner. The Leafs’ ridiculously talented spark plug of a winger, who also has a “Franchise” tag written all over him.

With 63 points (20 goals and 43 assists) in 52 games so far this season, it is clear Marner is a pivotal part of this team. He is a magician who makes things happen all over the ice.

The 21-year-old has also stated multiple times — as has his agent Darren Ferris — that he will not discuss contract negotiations during the season, due to the distraction it will cause. No problem from here.

I can completely understand that mode of thinking. It keeps the focus on the production and getting this team where they need to go.

But all that went off the rails when Ferris claimed on Tuesday that the Leaf brass is trying to low ball Marner. I am not going to debate that issue as it is not for me to say; maybe they have, maybe they haven’t.

However, when Ferris, and by proxy Marner, responds to a reporter in this manner, the whole “not during the season” approach is in itself lowballed. Now it is certainly a distraction.

In my opinion, Ferris is using this as a negotiating tactic to get what he perceives as fair value for his client, but…does he know this market at all? Marner is now going to be hounded day in and day out until this is rectified, one way or another.

In one fell swoop, you took the steam out of the fans’ celebration of the Matthews contract, and started a smear campaign on the Leaf GM and his staff. That will never end well for your client in this market.

So this is where Marner, in my humble opinion, has to get in front of this thing. I just cannot see how he does it though.

The Markham, Ontario can’t have the agent retract his statement; the cat’s out of that bag. He certainly cannot take the same stand, or it tarnishes his status.

Marner is left with the cliched: “I am here to focus on my game and getting better each day. The business side will be handled by my agent. I want to be a Leaf and bring a Cup to this city. Hopefully we can agree on a fair deal so I can pursue that goal.”

The 2015 fourth overall draft pick is 1B on a team that looks to be, at the very least, ready to challenge over the next bunch of years for its first cup since 1967. And all of this could have been handled with a simple, “We have stated that we will not talk about contract discussions until the off season.” or “No comment”, by Ferris.

Instead, Ferris may have just put a young star into the role of villain in a Championship starved market. And instead of challenging for a Cup, maybe living in the desert without a sniff for the next seven years of his career.

What is your opinion of what Ferris said? Was he right to respond as he did? Did he have Marner’s blessing to do so? How do you see this all playing out for the winger and the Toronto Maple Leafs? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.