Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner is entering the final year of his deal and his future with the team has been one to monitor.
Marner had been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but no deal happened. There have then been rumors of a potential extension. However, NHL insider Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff.com shared his 32 bold predictions and he expects Marner to walk in free agency.
“Mitch Marner will headline the crop of 2025 Free Agents. The Leafs will be moving in a different direction next offseason, forced to finally act on foundation-shaking changes,” Seravalli wrote.
Marner walking in free agency would be a bit of a surprise. The star forward has made it clear he wants to remain in Toronto, but Seravalli believes Marner and the Maple Leafs will agree to part ways come July 1.
Marner is entering the final year of his six-year $65.41 million deal. Last season with the Maple Leafs, he recorded 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points in 69 games.
Marner Wants to Remain With Maple Leafs
Despite Marner being the subject of trade rumors, the star forward has made it clear he wants to sign an extension with the Maple Leafs.
“That’d be a goal. I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I’ve grown up here. We’ll start thinking about that now and trying to figure something out… It means the world to me,” Marner told the media on May 6.
“We’re looked upon as kind of Gods here, to be honest, and something that you really appreciate. The love that you get here from this fan base and this attention is none like any other. You saw with the (NBA’s Toronto) Raptors a couple of years ago, the love (fans) still have for a lot of those players (who helped them win a championship in 2019) that they had to trade off this year. That’s the love you want,” Marner added.
Marner was selected fourth overall in the 2015 NHL draft by the Maple Leafs. In his NHL career, he has skated in 576 games recording 194 goals and 445 assists for 639 points.
Maple Leafs Sign 2 Veteran Forwards
Ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season, Toronto signed veteran forwards Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz to one-year deals. Both players attended training camps on PTOs.
Pacioretty signed a one-year $873,770 deal while Lorentz got a one-year $775,000 contract. Pacioretty has skated in 902 NHL games but he says making the roster is special for him.
“It means a lot,” Pacioretty said. “No matter what was talked about before, it’s just always surreal and you come in and don’t know what to expect in terms of the group and fitting in and you kind of have those butterflies as to whether it’s going to work. I’m just really excited to be here.”
Lorentz, meanwhile, won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season. He’s expected to have a role on the fourth line for the Maple Leafs. He also says signing with Toronto is a dream come true.
“To be able to officially sign and to be able to go forward with a group like this is super special,” Lorentz said. “I just looked at the lineup here and thought there was a lot of potential to come in and obviously with the talent offensively they have that I could carve out a role in the bottom six. Just to play my game and bring the experience that I learned last year, it was an opportunity that every kid would dream of, especially coming from this area of town, being just an hour away, it was my dream to be a Leaf my whole life.”
The Maple Leafs open its 2024-25 NHL season on October 9 on the road against the Montreal Canadiens.
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