EUROPEAN VACATION?
Mitch Marner appears to be keeping his options open, with his representatives reaching out to the Zurich Lions,
Mitch Marner appears to have increased the pressure on the Maple Leafs in their protracted contract negotiations Tuesday, with his camp asking to practise with a Swiss pro team.
The restricted free agent’s status has been in limbo since his rookie deal expired July 1. The Zurich Lions confirmed that the Leafs rising star has asked to work out with the team.
“The ZSC Lions have been asked by the European agent if Mitch @Marner93 can participate in our practice. Whether and when the player will train with Zurich is not decided yet. #Marner #ZSCLions #MapleLeafs,” the Swiss team tweeted on its official account Tuesday.
Leafs fans weren’t impressed with some wondering on Twitter whether Marner’s agent Darren Ferris or his father Paul Marner paid the Swiss team to send out that tweet. Others urged Leafs GM Kyle Dubas to get the deal done.
The Lions have a previous connection to the Leafs — Auston Matthews played in Zurich before Toronto drafted him first overall in 2016. The Swiss team later posted a photo of Matthews playing with them.
Marner is reportedly seeking a deal similar to what Matthews inked with the Leafs: a five-year contract extension with an annual average of $11.6 million (U.S.). No other NHL team has stepped up to offer Marner a contract, which would force the Leafs to make a decision on whether to match it or deal him.
Marner, speaking at his charity event in Vaughan last month, told reporters that he’d leave the contract-related stress to Ferris and Dubas.
“Every goal here is to be there for training and be at training camp,” Marner said at the time. “There’s no rush. We’ve still got a lot of time until that happens. I think that’s what both sides understand, is that there’s a lot of summer still left. Like I said, (agent) Darren (Ferris) is doing a good job of his job, and unless something major’s coming up, he doesn’t really bring it up to me.”
The Leafs are hoping to avoid the same situation with Marner as they did with William Nylander last off-season. Nylander missed all of training camp and the early part of the season, but eventually signed a six-year deal in December (with an average annual value of $6.9 million from the second to sixth years and $10.2 million for 2018-19.)
Marner, 22, has led the Leafs in scoring in each of the past two seasons, with a career-high 94 points in 2018-19.
The Leafs open training camp this year on Sept. 13 in St. John’s.