TSN: Craig Button on how he sees Mitch Marner’s season plays out as he’s in the final year of his contract.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Host: “A lot of star power Saturday night with Sidney Crosby and the Pens in . Among those stars, Mitch Marner, whose unassisted goal was the winner, also added an assist in the Leafs home opener.
You know, ton of discussion over the summer about Marner and his extension. How do you see this playing out throughout the season?
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Button: “First and foremost, what I see is, is Mitch Marner is an integral part of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And their goal is real simple, it’s to have success come playoff time.
Now we’ll go to the second part. Mitch Marner is one of the top players in the National Hockey League. He’s proven that time and time again. I mean, the goal he scores here, I mean, it’s unbelievable how he sets it up, intercepts that play by Crosby, and then just again, the brilliance of Mitch Marner is on display with the puck, without the puck in so many different areas.
And you know, we heard the discussions over the summer, was maligned. Malign him, at your peril. I mean, he’s going to get his money because he deserves the money. He’s a top star in the league.
And I don’t think it’s right now about Mitch Marner having to do anything with his contract. It’s all about him trying to be as good player that he has been for his career. and then helping the leagues come playoff time. That’s what this is about. If the contract gets done at some point in time with the Leafs. Wonderful. If it doesn’t, okay, we’ll see what happens in the playoffs.
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But all in all, Mitch Marner’s getting paid whether it’s in Toronto or whether it’s in someplace else, as a free agent. The Toronto Maple Leafs are better off with Mitch Marner than without them.