Mitch Marner Reportedly Has Other Plans, May Delay July 1st Signing per Friedman
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Pending free agent forward Mitch Marner might not sign his next deal on July 1, and may wait things out according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.
As the Mitch Marner saga continues to heat up with each passing day, the question of where he'll end up and for how much has been hotly debated. No doubt going to have his fair share of interested teams, he's got a huge decision to make come July 1.
But according to Elliotte Friedman, that July 1 date might not be the day that Marner puts pen to paper.
Mitch Marner may wait until after July 1 to sign his new deal: Elliotte Friedman
Although there's certainly the anticipation that Marner will sign on July 1, Friedman revealed on his 32 Thoughts podcast that he's heard inklings that Marner might entertain some offers first then make a decision later on:
One other thing I'm hearing about Marner, there's the possibility again; there's still two weeks who knows where it will end up. There is a chance this is not a July 1 thing, but his choice is to set up Zoom or in person meetings on July 1 or thereafter.
I was told that's one of the possibilities, there's time, but that's not out of the question. - Elliotte Friedman
I was told that's one of the possibilities, there's time, but that's not out of the question. - Elliotte Friedman
It wouldn't be surprising to see Marner take his time, as it's not only a big life decision with his new family to think about, but he wants to make sure he maximizes whatever financial incentives he can get.
Is Mitch Marner going to entertain an offer from Toronto?
Knowing that he is going to perhaps take his time with the decision, Marner has the chance to give every team the opportunity to plead their case, and the Maple Leafs might be no different.
Rumored to be a meeting destination for Marner, it feels more like closure than getting a deal done given the other reports have all stated he's headed out of town.
What the team can offer him besides everything they already have is unclear, and besides getting a definitive answer it's hard to imagine the meeting being more than a couple of minutes.
There's the potential he is going to be offered $14M+ a season, and the Maple Leafs cannot and should not pay him that much. However, if there's a world where Marner is pulling a Steven Stamkos and simply gauging the market; he's played everyone for fools.
Besides giving him the captaincy, what else can Toronto offer Marner?
There's zero guarantee he'll win, the money is going to be better elsewhere even with a higher salary, and he's got a chance to become one of the most vilified players in team history even if he makes a return; there's no point.
So while it would be seen as a sign of respect for Marner to give his old team a chance, he has shown time and time again that he won't help them out when they need him to.
What do you think will make things different now?
| POLL | ||
JUIN 17 | 563 ANSWERS Mitch Marner Reportedly Has Other Plans, May Delay July 1st Signing per Friedman Will Mitch Marner sign his new deal on July 1? | ||
| Yes | 210 | 37.3 % |
| No | 353 | 62.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
