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Elliotte Friedman Sheds Light on the Mitch Marner-Maple Leafs Saga

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jan 31, 2025 6:30 AM ET

Speculation surrounding Mitch Marner’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs continues and won't stop until we get past the March 7 NHL trade deadline.

That said, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes the star forward has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause before the season ends, thus blocking any potential deal from happening.

Speaking on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Thursday (h/t NHL Rumors), Friedman made it clear that while teams may inquire, Marner controls his fate thanks to the full no-move clause included in his contract, and he's locked into staying put in Toronto.

“The thing is, I don’t think Marner has any intention of moving in-season,” Friedman said. “If it wasn’t going to be happening last summer, I don’t think it’s going to be happening now."

The trade chatter surrounding Marner intensified after the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster deal last Friday.

According to Frank Seravalli, Carolina had explored multiple high-profile trade targets before pivoting to Rantanen, including Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

In a surprising reveal, however, Seravalli speculated that the Hurricanes "at least inquired" about Marner as well.

"I believe that the Carolina Hurricanes at least inquired about Mitch Marner as they were going through this process with Mikko Rantanen," Seravalli said. "I don’t know how far they got. I don’t know if it’s a possibility that maybe they were not a team that Marner would go to.

However, as Friedman noted, Marner holds a full no-trade clause, unlike Rantanen, who had only a partial one.

That means any trade would require his approval. Even if Toronto wanted to make a deal, Marner has the final say, and there is no indication he would accept a move elsewhere.

Marner, 27, is in the final year of his six-year, $65.4 million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

So far this season, the winger has contributed 68 points through 51 ones, including 15 goals and 53 assists for the Maple Leafs.

Toronto sits second in the Atlantic Division boasting a 30-19-2 record and being just one point short of the Florida Panther's 63-point tally, albeit with one game in hand over the reigning champions.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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