Toronto Maple Leafs have officially opened their training camp on Friday, but it seems that winger Mitch Marner won’t be joining them anytime soon. Maple Leafs and Marner are still discussing a contract extension and reportedly aren’t exactly close to making a deal.
NHL insider Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday that Maple Leafs offered Marner a seven- or eight-year deal which would bring him $11 million annually. The player, however, turned down the offer as he is asking to get a deal similar to the one his teammate Auston Matthews received back in February.
Matthews signed a five-year, $58.17 million deal, which has an annual value of $11.634 million and comes in effect this upcoming season.
According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Marner would also be opened to a bridge deal that would pay him between $9 and $10 million per year. Toronto, on the other side, isn’t exactly motivated to do this.
Since being taken fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Mitch Marner established himself as one of Toronto Maple Leafs’ key players. He led the team in scoring for the past two years and was especially productive in the past season when he contributed with 26 goals and 68 assists, both career-highs.
Marner’s NHL career stats include 241 games played, 67 scored goals, and 157 assists.
