While Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews acknowledged recently that discussions have started regarding a contract extension, there hasn’t been a similar note for winger Mitch Marner, who also is entering the final year of his entry-level deal. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News argues that the 21-year-old may be wise to wait until next summer to work out a new deal instead of doing an early extension.
Marner has been quite productive through his first two NHL seasons, recording 61 points in his rookie campaign and 69 last year. He managed to do so despite not spending a lot of time with Matthews which is also notable. With Toronto adding top free agent center John Tavares this summer, there’s a good chance that Marner will play with either him or Matthews which could result in a nice jump in his point total. If that’s the case, he can likely get a bigger contract next summer with a bit more leverage than he currently has now.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- There is nothing imminent on the trade front for the Lightning when it comes to Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson. Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) characterizes the discussions as not having got particularly close to a deal and adds that some feel that Ottawa isn’t in any rush to move him and are prepared to wait to get the price they want. Of course, further complicating things is that Tampa Bay may have to involve a third team to offload enough payroll to take on Karlsson’s $6.5MM contract as the Sens aren’t expected to be willing to take significant salary back in return.
- While the Red Wings have yet to lock up RFA center Dylan Larkin, the soon-to-be 22-year-old told NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika that there are no major issues thus far in their contract negotiations. Larkin is coming off of a career year that saw him collect 63 points to lead the team in scoring and will likely be bypassing the bridge contract. It was reported earlier this month that Detroit is looking to do a five-year contract here but that they may have to go to six to get something done.