Reporter reveals which direction the Leafs are headed with Mitch Marner

When the Leafs washed out of the 2nd round in just 5 games against the Florida Panthers, there was a strong believe that the team would undergo a major transformation this summer, with at least one member of the core being moved. However, all bets were off once Kyle Dubas was let go by the organization and Brad Treliving was brought in to replace him.

Despite the fact that Treliving came in and said all of the right things during his introductory presser, nobody really knew what would unfold this summer. Perhaps his backing of the Core 4 during his presser was nothing more than posturing to bait teams into making him an offer he couldn't refuse on one of William Nylander or Mitch Marner.

Well, thanks to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, we may have some insight as to where the Leafs currently stand on at least one of those pieces. Kurz shared an article from his official Twitter account, which contained a quote regarding Marner that was very eye-opening, saying, "you can never predict if another team will pick up the phone and make the kind of offer a GM never saw coming, but let's put it this way: Treliving isn't bringing Marner's name up with teams."

Not only would it be tough for a team to fit Marner's $10.9M cap hit for 2 more seasons, but it would be next to impossible for the Leafs to win a trade involving Marner, as there aren't many players in the NHL who are either better than him or in the same wheelhouse and are available.


While Leaf fans are clamoring for a change, it's good to know that Treliving isn't interested in any deal that he'd clearly be on the losing end of, so if he does plan to deal, he'll look to do so from a position of strength, rather than a position of weakness. In other words, if a team wants Marner, they're going to have to present an offer to Treliving that is far too good to turn down.