NHL.com editor Mike Zeisberger has covered the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Monday, he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly column “Zizing ‘Em Up.”
TORONTO– The spotlight on free agents has intensified Mitch Marner After Mikko Rantanen signed an eight-year contract with the Dallas Stars on Friday.
Probably sooner than expected for the Toronto Maple Leafs forward.
Or wanted to.
And that goes for Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving as well.
The last thing either side wanted was for Marner’s future to become a public talking point as Toronto heads into battle with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Too late.
Those hopes were rendered moot when reports from TSN and Sportsnet emerged after the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Friday suggesting that Toronto management approached Marner about waiving his no-movement clause to facilitate, at least in theory, a potential trade to the Carolina Hurricanes for Rantanen. The Hurricanes would have targeted Marner in any proposed trade with the Maple Leafs, whose plan was always to bring him back.
The thing to point out here is that Toronto told Marner at the time that their priority was to re-sign him, not trade him. Ultimately, Marner, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, still denied the request.
In what should have been a weekend in which Toronto fans were excited about Trade Deadline acquisitions Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo, Marner’s situation became the hot topic, so much so that Treliving had an impromptu meeting with the media on Sunday in Salt Lake City to address the issue.
The Maple Leafs face the Utah Hockey Club on Monday (10 p.m. ET; Utah16, SNO, TVAS).
“We’re aligned with Mitch,” Treliving told reporters. “We’re worried about this season. We’re worried about the upcoming games. We want Mitch to be here for a long time. It’s not a distraction.”
Judging by last weekend, it has already become exactly that.
“I support Mitch 1,000 percent,” Treliving said. “He’s not here on an island with us.”
Marner insists he remains focused on the ice. But after his two-goal performance in a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, the 27-year-old became emotional when asked if he was surprised that Treliving asked him to possibly waive his non-move.
“I wasn’t focused on that,” he said. “I had a feeling that maybe something might happen.”
He paused.
“But yeah, I’m here to play hockey with this team, like I said, and I’m focused on this team. And that’s what I can tell you.”
Marner did not answer whether he would be willing to negotiate another contract with Toronto before becoming a free agent. He also wouldn’t recognize it if he saw himself playing here next season, verbally handling the stick on the subject.
“Like I talked to you guys, man, I’m not going to get into this contract stuff,” Marner said during the scrimmage. “I was very grateful and loved my time as a Leaf, so I’ll leave that to you.
“And we’ve got 20 games left here that won’t be easy. We’ve got to make sure we keep our foot on the gas here and give ourselves the best position to get into the playoffs.”
Earlier in his media session, Marner explained how he deals with white noise, saying, “I’m here to play hockey with this team. That’s what I can tell you. I want to be with this team. I want to play with this team.”
But for how long?
Beyond this season?
Consider that even if the Maple Leafs want him back, his agent, Darren Ferris, has a reputation for testing his clients in free agency when the opportunity presents itself. This market should be extremely lucrative with Rantanen signed long-term.
Heading into this season, Rantanen and Marner were projected to be the best July 2025 free agents available in years, had they chosen to get to that point. Each was 27 at the time and entering the final season of their contract, Rantanen with the Colorado Avalanche, Marner with the Maple Leafs.
As of Monday, Rantanen is fourth in the NHL since the start of the 2020-21 season with 440 points (192 goals, 248 assists). Marner is tied for sixth with 427 (132 goals, 295 assists). Having two such elite players in their prime, potentially on the market for all bidders, is virtually unheard of, but Rantanen is no longer in the mix.
Indeed, after a whirlwind six weeks in which he was traded by the Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24 and then dealt to the Stars just hours before the NHL trade deadline Friday, the top-performing winger signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with Dallas later that day.
In doing so, it likely increased Marner’s value.
Think about it. If Marner doesn’t re-sign with the Maple Leafs before the market opens, teams hoping to land a perennial top-10 scorer will no longer have many options in free agency.
It’s Marner. That’s it. Rantanen is no longer an alternative.
As for the story that Rantanen’s average annual value of $12 million with the Stars set Marner’s price if the latter hit the open market, keep in mind that there is no income tax in Texas. Marner knows it. More importantly, Ferris knows it. As such, it’s reasonable to predict that they will seek a higher AAV from teams that play in markets that have it, whether that be the United States or Canada, with a starting asking price of $13 million not at all exaggerated.
As if Marner’s stock wasn’t high enough, he received a boost from his work for Canada in last month’s 4 Nations showdown. Performing on a stage of some of the world’s best players, he was one of the tournament’s standout players, scoring the overtime goal in a 4-3 win over Sweden and then setting Connor McDavid for the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over the United States in the championship match.
