Nylander contacts Marner to offer up advice during strained negotiations with Leafs

The NHL offseason has barely begun and the Toronto Maple Leafs are embroiled in contentious contract negotiations with a young, budding superstar. Wait… stop if you’ve heard this story before…

The Leafs, of course, went through this entire ordeal last offseason with William Nylander, this time around it’s Mitch Marner who is causing headaches for Leafs management. Nylander’s negotiations dragged out into the 2018-19 season with him signing at the eleventh hour, just minutes before the NHL’s December 1st deadline. The 22 year old ended up with a six year, $45 million deal with a $6.9 million annual cap hit. Marner… well let’s just say that his contract demands make Nylander’s look like child’s play. Marner is reportedly seeking a long term deal worth over $11 million per season. Yikes.

The Marner camp has dug its heels in and they seem intent on riding things out, much like Nylander and his camp did a year prior. In fact, Leafs insider Luke Fox of Sportsnet reports that Nylander has even reached out to Marner with some sage advice.

Check it out:

Hmmmm… worked out for both sides? Nylander’s seven goals and 27 points in 54 games seem to indicate otherwise. 

Now, most fans and experts seem to think that Nylander will bounce back in 2019-20 and that his contact won’t look so bad, but don’t expect anyone to give Marner the same grace if he fails to deliver on a $11+ million deal.