Mitch Marner Reportedly DECLINED Largest Contract in Maple Leafs History Before 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Mitch Marner joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016-17 season and has recorded 741 points in 9 seasons while playing for his hometown team.

Mitch Marner Reportedly DECLINED Largest Contract in Maple Leafs History Before 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Mitch Marner (Image via Imago)

As the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs continue, a huge report regarding Mitch Marner came out. As per reports, the Canadian international declined to sign a contract that would have been the largest in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

Throughout this entire season, there have been questions regarding the future of Marner. The 28-year-old has remained tight-lipped about this.

Marner signed a 6-year, $65.4 million contract extension in September 2019. This contract of his will run out at the end of June this year. If he does sign a contract extension, he will become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) at the start of July 1.

The Maple Leafs certainly do not want to lose one of their ‘Core 4‘ members. As per The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, the team did in fact try to tie him down to a huge contract.

According to the NHL insider, the team reportedly offered him an 8-year deal, which would become the largest in franchise history before the start of the 2025 playoffs. However, the player declined this offered.

Earlier this year, Marner made a big move regarding his future. He would decline to waive his no-trade clause in a potential trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, which would have seen the Maple Leafs receive Mikko Rantanen. In the end, Rantanen was traded to the Dallas Stars, whereas Marner decided to stay with the Maple Leafs.

Mitch Marner to decide about future in upcoming weeks

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2024-25 season came to an end on Sunday night as they suffered another Game 7 elimination. Since that game, many have been wondering whether that was the last time they saw Mitch Marner in a Maple Leafs uniform.

Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner (Image via Imago)

Following their elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers, the Maple Leafs had a season-ending presser. During this, Marner was once asked about his future. The Canadian international simply informed that he would sit down with his family and then decide his future in the upcoming weeks.

Haven’t talked about anything. Next coming weeks, I’ll sit down with my wife and we’ll start talking and trying to figure out what the next steps are.

Marner has been part of the Maple Leafs since the 2016-17 season. In his 9 seasons with the team, he has played 657 games and has 221 goals and 520 assists (741 points). As for the playoffs, he has scored 13 goals and assisted 50 (63 points) in 70 games.

Former Maple Leafs captain claims Mitch Marner takes ‘insults’ very personally which could lead to his exit from Toronto

With the elimination of the Toronto Maple Leafs from the playoffs, the massive question regarding the team is – what is next in store for Mitch Marner? As this saga continues, a former Maple Leafs captain claimed that the forward takes “insults” personally, and that could favor in his exit from Toronto.

Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner (Image via Yahoo Sports)

While appearing on the Leafs Morning Take Wednesday, former team captain Rick Vaive shared his thoughts regarding this saga of Marner. The 66-year-old believes that Marner could be looking for his exit following the recent trolls against him.

If you’re from Toronto that’s even more intense, but you’ve got to be able to let things roll off your back and just go out there and do your job. I’m not so sure that he’s capable of doing that. I think he takes the insults that people say about him and stuff like that, I think he takes that very personally. And you can’t do that if you’re gonna play in this market.

Vaive also expressed his thoughts while co-writing a guest column in the Toronto Sun. In the story ‘If you can’t stand the heat in Toronto, time to go,’ he expressed that he thinks Marner gets intimidated during high-stakes games.

Marner and the other ‘Core 4’ members have been subjected to heavy trolling and received backlash following their performances in recent years. As per Vaive, all of this could become a factor for him to leave Toronto and explore his future somewhere else.

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