Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Faces Pressure to Re-Sign Mitch Marner

After a challenging and unpopular tenure, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving salvaged his reputation last year by securing Auston Matthews on one of the NHL’s best contracts. However, this summer hasn’t been much better for Treliving, and he now faces a crucial task: re-signing one of the team’s top players, Mitch Marner.

The ongoing situation with Marner has reached a critical point, and it’s clear that he’s not being traded. Therefore, securing his signature is an urgent priority. Delaying this further would be a massive misstep, potentially one of the worst in the franchise’s history—a franchise that has seen its share of poor decisions.

Allowing Marner to enter the final season of his contract without an extension would be not only incompetent but also negligent. Despite injuries and the pandemic, Marner has been on pace for four consecutive 100-point seasons, positioning him as one of the greatest players in Leafs history. Losing him without compensation isn’t just unacceptable—it’s unthinkable.

The Leafs can’t afford the distraction of an 82-game season filled with constant speculation about Marner’s future. Given the intense media environment surrounding the team, the uncertainty around Marner’s contract would be a major disruption. The longer they wait, the higher the cost will be, making it cheaper to sign him now rather than after the season.

Some might argue that the Leafs can handle this, pointing to William Nylander’s in-season extension after a similar situation. But Marner is a different caliber of player, and the stakes are much higher. The distraction level would be exponentially greater, and failing to secure Marner’s contract before the season begins could push Treliving’s performance to a new low, rivaling some of the worst decisions made by former GMs John Ferguson Jr. and David Nonis.