TORONTO (Feb. 13) — That was quite some tumult Mitch Marner induced at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night; its euphoric tentacles penetrating all corners of the nation. Not in ten National Hockey League seasons has Marvelous Mitch contributed such an enduring moment. Which speaks loudly about his NHL club and its perennial lack of Stanley Cup success. With the fast–rising salary cap over the coming three seasons, the Maple Leafs are in the clear if they wish to retain Marner. A roster adjustment would need to be made next season, as the cap increases by $7.5 million and the Leafs will have to relinquish roughly $14 million to keep Mitch. But, the $11 million consumed by John Tavares comes off the books. With the cap increase, Toronto will therefore have $18.5 million (11 + 7.5) to kick around… and $4.5 million still in the bank after paying Marner. It is doable from every angle.

The only angle that matters, however, is that which Marner chooses. With a full no–movement clause, he alone will decide whether to accept a trade prior to the Mar. 7 NHL deadline; to re–sign with the Leafs before July 1, or to test unrestricted free agency and generate a bidding war amid half–a–dozen suitors. If I know Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, as well as I think I do, he’ll encourage Door No. 3. Marner, of course, will get his money anywhere, but the stipend can only rise if multiple teams are involved. Which brings me back to my original point. As a fan of the Leafs, could you imagine Marvelous Mitch signing a long–term deal with the Montreal Canadiens? Whenever I’ve considered Mitch making a voluntary move, it was to a warmer or mountainous climate where hockey isn’t so all–emcompasing. Seattle, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City came to mind. I never even considered the notion of Marner donning the bleu, blanc et rouge. But, it makes too much sense. Heck, the locals could change his name to “Michele Marneau” and he’d become a modern–day version of Yvan Cournoyer. The possibilities are endless.

Sadly for Leafs Nation, this is reality. Marner, if he so chooses, can join any club that makes him an offer on July 1. Just as he can block a potential trade prior to Mar. 7. He manages himself. If he is dying to stay in Toronto and cannot stomach the notion of a rival NHL uniform, there is nothing in the way of an extension. Once the 4Nations tournament is over (so as to not steal the spotlight), the Leafs will call a grandiose press conference and announce to the world that the Core–4 will grow old together. Any further delay will indicate that at least one of the parties is having second thoughts. Perhaps even an aversion to continuing status–quo. While it would obviously be difficult to watch Marner wave goodbye, the Leafs are surely mindful of the travesty the playoffs have become in the past eight years. As written on several occasions, the path of least resistence would be to give Marner whatever he wants, keeping him alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander. That’s the usual Maple Leafs’ way.

A larger challenge would be to finally move away from the Big 3 draft choices and apply the $22 million saved from Marner and Tavares toward a more–balanced roster. But, that would require exertion and ingenuity — hardly a strength of ownership or management in the pockmarked, Core–4 era. The Leafs have rested on their draft laurels for ages. As such, we’d anticipate that Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving are falling over one another to retain Marner. But, are they? And, what if Mitch has already chosen to follow his agent’s lead and test the open market? There are so many questions… yet only one concrete answer: the player, not the team, is fully in charge.

To accommodate Marner, the Canadiens would need to make a slight roster adjustment. Stalwarts Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki are locked in through 2027–28 at manageable cap figures (a combined $15,670,000). Montreal is on the hook with Patrik Laine for just one more season (at $8.7 million). He has a modified no–trade and can present the Canadiens 10 cities to which he would not accept a move. Right–wingers Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson are also under contract through 2026–27. The blue line needs work, but adding Marner’s magic to a young, upcoming team with a potentially long–term goaltending duo would stir the juices in La Belle Province.

To their credit, the Leafs and Marner have both been circumspect in commenting on the situation. All projections, including this one, are speculative. Common sense, however, would indicate that if the club and the player wish to stay together, a deal can be announced at any time. Again, the Leafs will have roughly $18.5 million to play with (minus Tavares and adding the cap increase). So, Mitch could easily fit beneath that figure. The longer a joint–announcement is put off, the more it will indicate that Marner and the Leafs are in their final months as an item.

Perhaps the Marvelous One will remember that ovation, Wednesday night, while wearing red.

Even if resulting in a gut–punch, like never before, to Leafs Nation.

EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM