Extending Mitch Marner during the regular season is a commitment to mediocrity.
Look, I’m not saying that a Mitch Marner extension is a bad thing or harms the teamm and I want to be very clear that this has nothing to do with Mitch Marner as a person or a player. I am saying that handing him an extension and committing to this core without any success is admitting to Maple Leafs fans that playoff success is not of the utmost importance.
This comes off the heels of Darren Dreger appearing on TSN 1050 with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo, where he mentioned that Marner and the Maple Leafs have mutual interest in an extension.
“Here’s the number one reason why I don’t see it: I think that Toronto very much wants to sign Marner and by all indications, he wants to stay and be a lifelong Toronto Maple Leaf. It’s just the business side is what complicates it most. But I can assure you one thing: If Mitch Marner decided, today being Monday, that he wanted to schedule a meeting with Brad Treliving and get the ball rolling, they get the ball rolling immediately to sign him.”
Mitch Marner is an incredible player and undoubtedly makes the Maple Leafs a better team, but that impact has only ever been seen in the regular season. Now in their ninth season in Toronto, this group has made the playoffs eight of eight seasons and won ONE playoff series. Committing half of your salary cap to the same four players year after year has proven to limit your ability to acquire and retain key depth pieces that allow you to compete deeper into the playoffs. To sign Mitch Marner to an extension before any signs of taking the next step when it matters the most is just admitting to the fans that playoff success is less of a priority than selling jerseys and finishing at the top of the standings every single season.
What if this team flames out in the first round again? What if Mitch has zero points in a 4-0 first-round sweep? Locking him up now adds to the list of recent extensions with Auston Matthews and William Nylander, along with Morgan Rielly who signed not too long ago. It makes it nearly impossible to make any change this summer that isn’t what you’ve done every single offseason.
Mitch Marner is an incredible player and the Maple Leafs would love to keep him, but with the rigid structure of the NHL salary cap and the expected raise for #16, it’s inevitable that an extension before the season limits your options in the summer. This same conversation would go for any of the top guys if it was their time, it’s just nonsensical for Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs to commit themselves to a core without seeing any development or success when it matters most. The franchise record regular seasons and individual point accomplishments no longer matter. It’s all about the Stanley Cup.
Having flexibility and options puts some pressure on the players to perform and allows the team to make changes if things don’t go as planned.