Could Mitch Marner stay in Toronto, and John Tavares be the one to leave?
John Shannon was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick and was asked about Mitch Marner staying with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Shannon thought he fits with the Maple Leafs, but he brought up the point about John Tavares and does he go.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
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Scott Laughlin: “Now I wonder John, with regards to the Leafs, and we know that they’re 7-1 (now 7-2) without Austin Matthews, and Matthews is hoping to return against Florida coming up on Wednesday. We’ll have to wait and see on that one, but there’s 7-1 (now 7-2, they’ve won four straight. They lead the Atlantic Division.
Everything’s coming up roses, and Mitch Marner has arguably his most impactful game of the season last night with a couple of goals against the hockey club. You think they should get something done with Marner in terms of a lucrative extension in the next couple of weeks or couple of months? Or do you think that they’re more than willing, the Leafs to let this play out through the playoffs, to make sure they get at least through the first round of the postseason?”
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John Shannon: “I can, I don’t see Marner leaving. I don’t have all the cap stuff sitting in front of me here, Scotty, but I do not see Mitch Marner leaving Toronto. I think he loves Toronto. I think he’s playing some of the best hockey of his career.
They are winning, but at the same time, it’s only November, this team has done some great things in a short period of time, and has almost proven a lot of doubters wrong about how they can play the game, and they’ve got better goaltending than I think people imagined. I think they feel their defense is playing a bit better than it was expected to do.
But I don’t see Mitch Marner leaving. The Leafs are going to need a number. Marner is going to need a number. And let’s be honest. And you guys both know Darren Ferris. Darren Ferris is an aggressive agent. He wants what the biggest and best number he can get for his guy, and none of us really know what that number is. But at the same time, the Leafs are going to be forced to make some changes elsewhere, if that, if, in fact, they do give him a number that he wants.
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And the first guy that that points to is John Tavares, who’s under a big deal right now, and it’s expiring. It’s funny. We talk a lot about, are they going to re-sign Mitch Maner we don’t talk a lot about, are they going to re-sign John Tavares?”
Laughlin: “Good point.”
Shannon: “I think it’s one of those stories that will take its time, and I suspect we’ll probably hear a little bit more in the new year when I think Brad and his gang have a chance to sit down and punch the numbers and look where they are and decide what role a guy like Tavares has to play in the club and a few of the other names that they’ve paid some money to, and then decide what whether Marner fits into that. My gut tells me that Marner fits into anything.”
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