Marner rumours continue in latest pathetic attempt to seem relevant

It’s extremely mid-August for random Twitter accounts to pop up with supposed sourced reports of major transactions for your favourite hockey team.

A trade, contract extension, or an offer sheet — things that rarely happen this time of year but it makes perfect sense to just make something up and have the rest of the hockey world delve deep into what-ifs. “Per source” has become something that anyone can float around and it can get the public attention.

Weeks since anyone has heard an update on where any restricted free agent is at for their new contract, Joshua Marshall, co-host of something called the Two Mutts Podcast, has decided to take it upon himself to give the information to the people.

Lou Lamoriello, the tightest-lipped GM in the history of the NHL, could surely just leak some of the biggest news this summer to “JMarshyBosco93” — totally believable.

I’m sure that someone living in Alberta has a direct line to a league source that will give them this type of information.

Even if you take this as fact, the Islanders currently have about $9.3-million in cap space currently, with Michael Dal Colle and Anthony Beauvillier still to sign and Mat Barzal to worry about next season. Anyone can clearly see that the Islanders are in no position to offer a player $13-million in cap space and surrender four first-round picks that would heavily influence the future of this team.

No one is giving away anymore offer sheets and the restricted free agent signings will likely trickle in before training camp.

No player wants what happened to William Nylander’s season to happen to them. Missing training camp could be deadly to their own ability and could waste a whole year to potentially build their own value for future contracts.

Marner is going to stay in Toronto, as every actual hockey insider has been saying since the beginning. They will make it work, whether that means shorter-than-comfortable term to have the dollars work. No matter what, they’ll have a very good group of forwards for the next few years.

Instead of catching up on who the most recent random Twitter account and co-host of yet another hockey podcast has to say on the latest non-developments in the hockey world, go outside. It’s August, you will have all winter to pay attention to hockey.