Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving did not specify if Mitch Marner will indeed be part of the team going forward during his end-of-season media availability on Thursday.
Treliving hinted at significant changes that were needed to alter the DNA of the Leafs. He did not get into semantics on where he’s at amid ongoing negotiations, but did note that he plans to speak with Marner’s camp soon when cooler heads prevail.
“This isn’t a deflection. I think Mitch is a tremendous player,” Treliving said. “I think he’s a star. We’re in that process right now. I had a meeting with all of the players individually, we do our exit meetings. Mitch and I had a discussion. It’s emotional right now. My discussion with Mitch was ‘let’s all take a step back, let’s take a deep breath.’ I gotta decompress a little bit.”
Treliving admitted that Brendan Shanahan’s recent departure from the organization threw a curveball in terms of his plan of attack with the Marner negotiations. He also noted that the winger does have a say in the process, so he will wait and see how it all shakes out in the coming weeks.
He will carry that same thought process with all of the other pending UFAs such as John Tavares: they won’t be rigid in their thought process of it will only go one way or no way and instead be thoughtful of what is the best decision moving forward.
“There’s not a hockey tree out there that you can just go and pluck the player off of,” Treliving said about how the Leafs should proceed if Marner leaves. “So our job is to make the team look at all of the options. That’s what we got to go through right now. I can’t sit here and give you a definitive answer. We’ve got a number one: go through the process with Mitch. Our staff is in the process now of looking at all different outcomes. But we’ve got to drive what we think is the best outcome.”
It is worth noting that reports are indicating that Marner is likely going to test free agency this summer and there will be plenty of teams that will be vying for his services. That does not necessarily mean the door is shut on him returning to the Leafs, but there is a good chance that Game 7 against the Florida Panthers may have been the last time he gets to don the Blue and White.
When Marner spoke about his mindset moving forward, he was also vague on his decision and did not provide any definitive answers on whether he would indeed want to return.
“I think like everyone, saddened, devastated in a way, yeah, I mean it’s not easy,” he said. “It’s hard. I’ve love being here, I’m so grateful, but I haven’t talked to my family yet. It’s still so fresh.”
It’s unclear at the time of this filing where Marner eventually signs, Treliving’s comments suggest that the process is only just beginning.
