Mitch Marner Negotiations Take Interesting Turn as Maple Leafs Set Internal Salary Cap

During the entirety of the Kyle Dubas era as GM in Toronto, we saw the Leafs spend and spend and spend some more, and you could argue that it all started with the 6-year extension Mitch Marner signed back in 2019.

Marner's $10.9M cap hit had paced the market for superstar wingers at the time, with several of his closest comparables signing for far less, including Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche, who signed an extension that also spanned 6 years, albeit at a more reasonable cap hit of $9.25M per season.

Well, times may be changing, as TSN's Pierre LeBrun suggested this week that the Maple Leafs may be looking to avoid allowing Marner to set the market for star wingers once again.

During an episode of Insider Trading this week, LeBrun mentioned that the Leafs have set an Internal cap and are going to attempt to avoid paying anyone more than captain Auston Matthews, who signed a 4-year extension worth $13.25M per season in August of 2023.

The main concern, as LeBrun mentioned during the segment, is that the agent for Mitch Marner, Darren Ferris, may be pushing for a certain percentage of the salary cap, rather than an a more precise dollar value. The problem the Leafs may run into is that the percentage that Marner and Ferris are seeking could result in a cap hit above Matthews' $13.25M.

Ferris is notorious for taking his clients all the way to free agency, so while there is some level of hope that Marner and the Leafs strike a deal in-season, there's certainly a possibility that this stalemate continues until July 1st, which would give Marner and his camp all of the leverage.

LeBrun also mentioned that Mikko Rantanen believes that he may he able to get $14M on the open market. Does that then mean that Marner could fetch more? Would Darren Ferris take that gamble and risk the Leafs moving on from Marner and signing someone else?

Marner has previously stated on a number of occasions that Toronto is where he wants to be. A local kid, with deep ties to the city, Marner may want to play his entire career as a Maple Leaf. But, unfortunately for him, that may require him taking a bit less than market value to remain in Toronto -- especially if the Leafs are finally holding firm to an internal salary cap.