Mitch Marner offers Maple Leafs a meeting.

By now everyone has all but assumed that Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner will be leaving as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Marner has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the Maple Leafs leading up to free agency and was even reported to have refused to waive his no-movement clause to facilitate a trade during the course of the regular season.

Why then would Mitch Marner offer the Maple Leafs a chance to negotiate on July 1st?

In a bizarre twist, National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman revealed on Sunday that, based on his sources, Marner's camp had indeed offered the Maple Leafs a meeting sometime after the opening of free agency on July 1st, just like he intends to do with other teams around the league.

"I think, and again nobody is confirming this, I think the Maple Leafs were offered one of the meetings," said Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

If the notion seems a bit silly to you, don't worry you're not the only one feeling that way. Even other teams around the NHL appear to have been confused by the move.

"Another team told me it was kind of funny to them because they are like 'Why would the Maple Leafs? What possibly could be the benefit of a meeting between Marner and the Maple Leafs? They already know everything about each other,'" said Friedman with a laugh.

Most of us have expected that Marner's decision will be announced the moment that free agency begins in July, but Friedman hinted that there may be several meetings that take place before Marner then decides to scope out some team facilities first-hand.

"It sounds like a possibility that exists that this may not be a July 1st thing," revealed Friedman. "Marner's choice could be zoom or in person meetings on July 1st or right after and then maybe he goes and visits 1 or 2 places."

While this isn't written in stone, it sounds like it is at least a possibility.

"I was told on Saturday that is one of the possibilities here," said Friedman.

The question still remains, why would Marner's camp want to meet with the Maple Leafs after free agency already began? Let me know your theories in the comments.