Toronto Maple Leafs: When will Mitch Marner actually sign?

Training camp is still more than a month away, but there are genuine concerns about if the Toronto Maple Leafs will have Mitch Marner signed in time.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still six weeks away from training camp. However, there is the very real possibility Mitch Marner will not be in St. John’s when camp begins on Sept. 13.

The fact this could happen seems ludicrous when discussing arguably the third-best player on the Leafs’ roster. This is a player who led the team in assists and overall points last season and became the first Leaf since Mats Sundin in 1996-97 to produce at least 90 points.

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In truth, Marner’s success during the 2018-19 campaign is part of the reason why he still hasn’t been re-signed. What’s worrying for Leafs fans though, is the apparent gap between the player and team in respect of what they believe he’s worth.

As Puck Prose‘ Dave Stevenson wrote recently, the two sides are nowhere close to agreeing terms on a new deal. The 2015 fourth overall draft pick is apparently looking for in excess of $10 million per season, which is going to be tough to justify with the Leafs’ current salary cap situation.

(t doesn’t help that NHL teams were operating under the assumption the upper limit salary cap for the 2019-20 season was going to be around $83 million. As revealed in late June however, the cap was increased by just $2 million, to $81.5 million.

Another challenge is that, as reported by Sportsnet‘s Elliotte Friedman, Marner allegedly wants a short-term extension which will take him as close as possible to becoming an unrestricted free agent. The Leafs would prefer to re-sign him in Toronto for the long-term.

Understandably, this leaves the question of when exactly the winger will sign a new contract with the Leafs? The last thing the team wants — or needs — is a situation similar to what occurred with William Nylander last season.

Nylander didn’t sign until the start of December. As a result, his production dropped significantly compared to his two previous campaigns.

Interestingly, agents around the league are also eager for Marner to sign on the dotted line as soon as possible. As per TSN, agents are waiting for him to get his deal agreed and set the market for the remaining high-profile restricted free agents.

Of course, this still doesn’t answer when exactly the 22-year old will re-sign. For what it’s worth, Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun believes he will sign a contract with the Leafs on the first day of the regular season.

This wouldn’t be ideal, as it would mean Marner missing all of camp and the pre-season, and likely resulting in some rust to begin with. However, this would be preferable to going down the Nylander route, with the Maple Leafs missing one of their very best players for the first two months of the 2019-20 campaign.

In our humble opinion, it is conceivable the NHL regular season will begin with Marner unsigned. If the reported difference between the two sides is genuinely so significant, how much can you expect the gap to close between now and Oct. 2?

We predict a situation where the Markham, Ontario native and his agent take the gamble of him sitting out the start of the new campaign. Their hope will be that his absence will be felt enough by the team, to persuade the front office to get him signed at a value and term more agreeable to the player.

We would have no issue with being wrong about this prediction; it’s always a shame for the NHL in general when a top talent isn’t playing. However, Leafs fans should prepare themselves for the genuine chance Marner won’t be taking to the ice on Oct. 2 to face the Ottawa Senators.

What’s your take on the Marner situation? Do you side with the player or the team, or see both sides at fault for the prolonged negotiations? More to the point, when do you predict the Toronto Maple Leafs will sign the winger? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.