Report: Marner's slump is great news for Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs can always count on young stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but they used to be able to do the same with Mitch Marner. 

However, now in his sophomore year, the 20-year-old forward is having trouble finding the back of the net. In 17 games, Marner has scored just one goal and added seven assists. You have to say that Leafs management and fans expected more. 

This morning on the Breakfast Club on TSN Radio, SportsCentre hosts Kelcey Brade and Derek Taylor joined in to see how worrisome Marner's slump really is, and the impact it has on the team's future. 

Marner's name has been heard in trade chatter lately, especially with the Leafs serious looking at the market to get help on the back end. Now with his slump, rival clubs might look elsewhere first to land a top forward, but Taylor believes Toronto can greatly benefit from Marner's slump. 

"This is exactly what I want if I'm the Leafs, I want [Marner] to drastically under-perform so I can low-ball them on their next contract!"

Now, if the Leafs are not looking to use Marner as trade bait for their next move, they could see great advantages in Marner's struggles this season. With many contracts to hand out over the course of the next two summers, the Leafs might be able to hold on to Marner, who'd need to get better to push the team further. 

GM Lou Lamoriello will have to decide what to do with Marner. Help him get better scoring opportunities to up his value on the trade market or let him push through the slump and sign him at an affordable price. 

What do you prefer?