This means nearly seven months have passed with no deal, and five months now remain until Marner can become an unrestricted free agent. That deal was signed on Jan. Waiting this out always felt like the right move to me. Yet it does increase the already sky-high stakes for both Marner and the Leafs in the postseason. Marner signs a deal soon. Does it need to happen before the March 7 trade deadline? You would think so. The distraction potential might be too high after that, what with the playoffs right around the corner.
David Pastrnak signed his eight-year extension with Boston on March 2, , a day before the trade deadline. Marner signs a deal after the playoffs but before or even on July 1. What if the cap spikes even more than that, though?
Paying Marner A big-time extension for Rantanen with the Hurricanes might only increase the leverage for Ferris and Marner. Just last season, the Florida Panthers finally re-upped Sam Reinhart on the first day of free agency β after a goal season and a Stanley Cup, mind you.
The playoffs are obviously still TBD. The Leafs have been streaky here of late: two straight losses after three wins in a row following three consecutive losses. Before that? Five wins in a row. No team will have a good record scoring that little.
By my count, the Leafs have lost well over games to injury. Fifteen players have missed at least one game due to injury; others have also been absent due to illness. The early returns for the new-look pair of Rielly and Jake McCabe? Not bad, at least statistically, in a still-small sample of about 44 minutes. Rielly, too, feels more involved offensively with McCabe by his side.
