NHL Rumors: Are Toronto Maple Leafs Talking to Nashville Predators About Mitch Marner?

TSN: Pierre LeBrun and Jay Onrait to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner and the Nashville Predators.

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Onrait: “I love reading your columns in The Athletic. He shot down rumors that Mitch Marner could be in the Nashville union at The Athletic on Wednesday.

So I guess my next question is, what's the situation with Marner right now? And do you think there will be any kind of resolution soon?

LeBrun: “Yes, Jay, yes, I shot in the sense that I understand why ideas exist and why they make sense. I mean, the Predators have made it a priority to improve offensively this summer.

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They also have goalkeepers who hope to extend Juuse Saros. They have a star goaltender and if they can't extend him, you know, maybe they trade him. So I understand how a lot of smart people put some, you know, put some stars in alignment here and, again, think that Nashville and Toronto would be equal.

But what I was trying to get at, report that I'm not saying you can't get to that point where the two parties have that conversation. I'm just telling you, it hasn't happened yet.”

Onrait: “That's right.”

LeBrun: “These two teams have never talked about Mitch Marner. Also, and part of that is the Leafs are busy trying to figure out their coaching situation. So they haven't gone through that part of the offseason yet.

But, you know, part of what I wrote about in that column is that this thing has many layers. I mean, at the end of the day, for example, I don't have proof that I made a couple of phone calls this week that Mitch Marner is in camp preparing the roster, and he's going to give the roster to Brad Treliving, the GM of the Leafs, saying. these are the places we can go.

That's not who I am, vibes, I get there from the Marner camp. And it feels like hey, we have a year left on our contract. We're going to respect it, and you know, we love to play for the Leafs and, it's important to realize that right now, because Mitch Marner is completely unmoved.

So I think, my, well, my way of saying this could still go a number of different ways including possibly a small trade this summer, but it's going to have to be up to the Leafs to find some kind of offer somewhere else there. they feel they should bring it to Marner's camp, not the other way around. If that makes sense.

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You know, Matthew Tkachuk two years ago, his camp gave a list of five, six teams in Calgary. That's not the sense I get, that at this point Marner's camp intends to go into it, go that way. But again, that, if anything, if there's one takeaway from my column is that it's still early and not much has happened on the Marner front. So let's all take a deep breath.”