Much has already been made this offseason about what the future could hold for Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli had his say on <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/590/the-jd-bunkis-podcast/">Monday&#8217;s edition</a> of the JD Bunkis Podcast.
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Seravalli and Bunkis had a long-ranging discussion about Marner, who is entering the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Marner has a full no-movement clause in his deal and his camp has indicated that he is not currently looking to sign an extension, although he apparently wants to remain a Maple Leaf.
Here&#8217;s an excerpt from the Marner conversation Seravalli and Bunkis had on Monday.
<blockquote>Frank Seravalli: Extending him is not on the table, as far as I know. He&#8217;s already verbalized it, and this is, again, potentially a protective measure. Tell me why this would make sense from his perspective. So, he has said, &#8220;I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf.&#8217; He&#8217;s a hometown kid, he wants to win there, he wants to get it done. So if that part is true, which I believe it is, why would you then also say, &#8216;We&#8217;re not talking extension&#8217;? Can you explain that to me?
JD Bunkis: Why the Leafs would say, &#8216;We&#8217;re not talking extension&#8217;?
Seravalli: No, why he would say that. His camp has verbalized that, according to reports, that they don&#8217;t have any interest in signing an extension this summer.
Bunkis: Yeah, I don&#8217;t know why they wouldn&#8217;t want to do that.
Seravalli: Help me understand that. So, you don&#8217;t want to get traded, and you don&#8217;t want to sign an extension. What do you want to do? &#8230; But I believe that&#8217;s a protective measure, because I don&#8217;t think, under any circumstance, the Toronto Maple Leafs have interest in re-signing Mitch Marner to an extension. [&#8230;] Read between the lines. &#8216;We don&#8217;t want to extend you.&#8217; He&#8217;s saying, &#8216;We don&#8217;t want to extend.&#8217;
Bunkis: &#8216;You&#8217;re not breaking up with me, I&#8217;m breaking up with you.&#8217; It&#8217;s that move.</blockquote>
Marner, 27, collected 26 goals and 85 points in 69 games with the Leafs during the 2023-24 regular season. He managed just one goal and three points in seven games against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Leafs certainly have plenty of business to attend to this summer, particularly with Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, Nick Robertson, Mark Giordano, Joel Edmundson, and a whole host of others in need of new contracts come July 1.
Marner is the only member of the Leafs&#8217; &#8220;Core Four&#8221; without a long-term contract and has been theorized to be on the chopping block after yet another disappointing playoff showing for the club. It remains to be seen whether the two sides will find a deal that works for them this offseason.

Much has already been made this offseason about what the future could hold for Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli had his say on <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/590/the-jd-bunkis-podcast/">Monday's edition</a> of the JD Bunkis Podcast.
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Seravalli and Bunkis had a long-ranging discussion about Marner, who is entering the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Marner has a full no-movement clause in his deal and his camp has indicated that he is not currently looking to sign an extension, although he apparently wants to remain a Maple Leaf.

Here's an excerpt from the Marner conversation Seravalli and Bunkis had on Monday.
<blockquote>Frank Seravalli: Extending him is not on the table, as far as I know. He's already verbalized it, and this is, again, potentially a protective measure. Tell me why this would make sense from his perspective. So, he has said, "I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf.' He's a hometown kid, he wants to win there, he wants to get it done. So if that part is true, which I believe it is, why would you then also say, 'We're not talking extension'? Can you explain that to me?

JD Bunkis: Why the Leafs would say, 'We're not talking extension'?

Seravalli: No, why he would say that. His camp has verbalized that, according to reports, that they don't have any interest in signing an extension this summer.

Bunkis: Yeah, I don't know why they wouldn't want to do that.

Seravalli: Help me understand that. So, you don't want to get traded, and you don't want to sign an extension. What do you want to do? ... But I believe that's a protective measure, because I don't think, under any circumstance, the Toronto Maple Leafs have interest in re-signing Mitch Marner to an extension. [...] Read between the lines. 'We don't want to extend you.' He's saying, 'We don't want to extend.'

Bunkis: 'You're not breaking up with me, I'm breaking up with you.' It's that move.</blockquote>
Marner, 27, collected 26 goals and 85 points in 69 games with the Leafs during the 2023-24 regular season. He managed just one goal and three points in seven games against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Leafs certainly have plenty of business to attend to this summer, particularly with Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, Nick Robertson, Mark Giordano, Joel Edmundson, and a whole host of others in need of new contracts come July 1.

Marner is the only member of the Leafs' "Core Four" without a long-term contract and has been theorized to be on the chopping block after yet another disappointing playoff showing for the club. It remains to be seen whether the two sides will find a deal that works for them this offseason.

Seravalli: Extending Mitch Marner is ‘not on the table’ for the Maple Leafs

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