Report: Marner rejects two free agent offersheets

The NHL offseason has barely even begun and already hockey fans have been subjected to daily reports on unsigned restricted free agent (RFA) Mitch Marner and his contractual squabble with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 22 year old Marner is reportedly seeking a deal that pays him north of $11 million annually, which is a sticking point for Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas.

With the team and the player seemingly reaching a stalemate in negotiations, many fans and analysts are beginning to wonder about the threat of an RFA offersheet. The Montreal Canadiens consummated the first offersheet in over half a decade when they inked Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho on the opening day of free agency. The Hurricanes, of course, match the offer, but could we see a team make a similar ploy for Marner’s services? One NHL insider, The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell, reports that Marner has already rejected two offersheets from rival teams. 

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It’s a little difficult to figure what is accurate, what is informed conjecture and what is pure bunk when it comes to the Marner situation these days. But we do know that there are teams that have been/are serious about making an offer and there’s good reason to believe two of them already have, with Marner turning them down because he didn’t like the destinations.

We can only speculate who those two teams might be but it’s worth noting that the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets all have a TON of cap space to use this offseason. In paticular, Devils GM Ray Shero has not been shy about letting people know that he’s still in the market for some help up front. Would he really be willing to part with four 1st round picks in exchange for Marner though?