Although Mitch Marner has since moved on from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, his agent isn’t forgetting his time in Toronto.
Marner’s longtime agent, Darren Ferris, blasted the Maple Leafs organization for how Marner faced scrutiny during his nine seasons in Toronto. Marner was involved in a sign and trade last summer and led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals this past season.
Ferris claimed that the organization never “protected” Marner. Marner was an alternative captain for the Maple leafs and helped lead the organization to playoff appearances during every season he was in Toronto.
“You gotta remember, Mitch was carjacked in Toronto,” said Ferris during an appearance on the PuckPedia show. “Every year the team came up short, he was the one singled out … This is a guy that had the most playoff points on the team, who played through a fractured ankle in the Boston series. He really bled for that team, and he was never protected by his organization, in my opinion.”
Mitch Marner-Led Maple Leafs Experienced Little Playoff Success
The Maple Leafs were able to snap a 19-year streak without winning a playoff series in 2023 under Marner’s lead. However, they won just two playoff series during his nine years with the Maple Leafs, with his last playoff series being an embarrassing Game 7 home loss to the Florida Panthers, 6-1.
A number of core Maple Leafs players faced scrutiny during that era including star player and captain Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Marner.
“Right from the get-go. I think people think this whole story with Mitch started with his contract dispute originally or that negotiation, and that’s not really where it started,” Ferris said. “I mean, back when he first signed with the Leafs and his entry-level (contract), they did not want him to have performance bonuses in there.”
Mitch Marner’s Agent Refers to Prior Potential Carolina Hurricanes Trade
It is worth noting that the Maple Leafs did sign Marner six-year, $65 million deal prior to the 2019-20 season. That made him one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.
Much of Ferris’ complaints stem from how the Maple Leafs didn’t exactly protect Marner by defending him from the media or public narratives that were being shaped around him over the years in Toronto.
There were references made to the prior proposed trade involving the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen, which Marner declined. Marner had a no-trade clause.
“Much was made of the Carolina proposal that Brad Treliving put in front of him,” said Ferris. Nobody had the real information that was out there. There was never a trade in place; it was just a suggestion put to Mitch — would he go to Carolina if a trade would be consummated?” Ferris said, mentioning that Marner didn’t like the timing of the deal because his wife was pregnant at the time and he didn’t want to uproot the family while that transpired. That Carolina thing … I don’t think helped the situation, and I think there was no real effort by the organization to rectify any of the concerns.”
Marner recently had a great playoff run for the Golden Knights, notching a hat trick in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have since moved on with an organizational overhaul, naming John Chayka as its new general manager.
While both sides have since moved on, it’s clear that Marner’s side — or at least his representation — since holds resentment towards Toronto.
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