The Toronto Maple Leafs are exploring every option when it comes to star forward Mitch Marner, who is expected to change addresses ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season. There’s seemingly no limit to how far Auston Matthews’ team is willing to go, with reports suggesting the Leafs might have a trick up their sleeve—signing Marner to a new contract only to trade him to a league powerhouse.
Marner’s time in Toronto might be up, with all signs pointing to a new beginning somewhere else for the former 4th overall pick in the 2015 NHL entry Draft. The hometown kid’s story appeared to be too good to be true, as him, Matthews, and the Maple Leafs crumbled time and again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The pressure is immense in The Six, where fans have been waiting 58 years to witness a championship. After yet another postseason disappointment, it seems heads are set to roll—and with his contract expiring on July 1st, Mitch Marner is shaping up to be made an example of.
However, breaking up the Matthews-Marner duo is a bold move in Toronto, so the Maple Leafs will be looking to get something in return for their departing star, who has drawn attention from several teams in the NHL. On that note, they might have found the perfect alternative to achieve just that.
Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs takes a breather against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 12, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sign-and-trade
According to reports from insider Cam Robinson, the Florida Panthers are serious about acquiring Marner this summer, and the Maple Leafs are open to re-signing their once-considered franchise player in order to work out a deal with their Atlantic Division rivals.
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NHL News: Mitch Marner likely makes a final decision on his future in Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs
“There’s real smoke that the Florida Panthers could be gearing up to make a run at Marner,” Robinson reported. “Word is that Toronto has opened the door to a sign-and-trade scenario, where they ink Marner to a max-term extension (eight years) and then flip him to recoup some level of value.“
Implications
If the Panthers pursue a trade for Marner, it would indirectly suggest they don’t plan to extend one—or either—of Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, whose contracts expire on July 1st and whose value has only skyrocketed after their heroics in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Perhaps the Panthers will adopt a similar philosophy to the Leafs’ and re-sign one of their top pending UFAs to facilitate a trade. Florida general manager Bill Zito has made it clear that no move is too risky for him to avoid, and he may be preparing for another one of his signature blockbuster deals this NHL offseason.
