As the top pending unrestricted free agent, winger Mitch Marner will have a chance to choose between a bunch of contract options. According to Pierre LeBrun in his latest post for The Athletic (subscription link), a couple of teams believe that Marner is considering signing just a two-year deal this summer with the hopes of getting a long-term contract in place in 2027 when the Upper Limit of the salary cap is projected to be around $113MM at that time. The value of the two-year pact would still likely surpass that of Mikko Rantanen’s AAV ($12MM) with Dallas, the new benchmark for a contract given to a winger. The 28-year-old had 27 goals and 75 assists in 81 games this season for the Maple Leafs while adding 13 points in 13 playoff contests.
- The Maple Leafs and center John Tavares are still not close on a new contract. Tavares has made it known that his desire is to remain with Toronto while the Leafs are hoping that he’ll leave some money on the table to do so. However, he’s the top middleman in a thinning UFA group at that position and is coming off a 38-goal, 74-point season. Realistically, he could push for $7.5MM or more on a multi-year deal if he gets to July 1st. Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Toronto offering a long-term deal at a lower rate per season to maximize their cap flexibility this summer.