Marner prevents journalists from talking to him about the Leafs

Since the Maple Leafs’ elimination from the playoffs, Mitch Marner’s future has been a hot topic. More and more people are wondering if his future is far from Toronto… and if he could be traded as early as this summer.

At the moment, we seem to be heading towards a return to Toronto for Marner, but remember that his contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 season.

That said, it’s pretty obvious that Marner’s relationship with the club is fragile… and today was a fine demonstration of that.

For the sixth year running, Marner is organizing a charity event for his foundation. And, as he does every year, he’s doing a little media tour to talk about his foundation.

But this year, there’s something different: in recent years, he’s had no problem talking about the Maple Leafs on this tour… but this year, all questions about the Toronto outfit are off-limits.

In a piece for The Hockey News, David Alter even notes that TSN and Sportsnet have been asked not to show up at the event, presumably because Marner wouldn’t talk to them.

Mitch Marner is doing media rounds for his Marner Assist Foundation today, a great charity now in its 6th year.

This year, though, has been quite different as far as interviews go. No #Leafs questions permitted.

Here is the interview he did with CTV this hour. pic.twitter.com/A52REVc2m3

– David Alter (@dalter) July 12, 2024

In the same piece, Alter also notes that even in 2019, when the player’s contract situation was a big topic, reporters could ask Marner questions about the Leafs. He’d redirect it to his agent, of course, but reporters could still ask him those questions.

Now they simply can’t.

You really have to wonder if Marner wants to stay in Toronto. All this suggests that there has been a significant deterioration in his relationship with the club, or his relationship with the media covering the club (or both).

A change of scenery could do him good, clearly.

If Marner has to stay in town for the coming season without signing a contract extension, I wonder what the dynamic will be like between the player and the media. Because it could quickly become a problem if it were to become toxic…

Overtime

– He could bring fans back to the arena.

Is Macklin Celebrini the Sharks’ savior? https://t.co/OqF1evtmEo

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) July 12, 2024

– The now former Habs defenseman celebrates his 27th birthday.

Happy birthday to former Canadiens defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic, who turned 27 today. Wishing him all the best in New Jersey after trade to Devils. Will miss chatting with him in #Habs locker room. Very smart guy and a pretty solid defenceman. @mtlgazette photo by John Mahoney pic.twitter.com/afrKDbdy6f

– Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) July 12, 2024