With Leon Draisaitl locked up on a record-breaking deal, there’s now even more intrigue regarding what Mitch Marner’s next contract could look like in Toronto or elsewhere.
The Edmonton Oilers signed Draisaitl to a historic eight-year, $112-million contract extension on Tuesday, which will give him the highest average annual value in the NHL at the start of the 2025-26 season, barring any other big deals.
The biggest standout of this deal is the timing. Draisaitl elected to sign this contract before the season, presumably to avoid the distractions that would come for himself and the Oilers as they enter the year with Stanley Cup aspirations.
While Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs still have time to go this route, neither side appears nearly as eager to sign an extension in the coming weeks.
However, GM Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs have a luxury that the Oilers do not, with John Tavares’ $11-million contract also expiring next summer. All indications suggest the 33-year-old will be getting a pay cut, while the Oilers also have defenseman Evan Bouchard due for a sizeable raise from his current $3.9-million cap hit before the 2025-26 season. That’s before factoring in Connor McDavid’s contract expiring in the summer of 2026.
Regardless of the cap complexities that the Oilers will have to deal with in the future, this is undoubtedly a fair deal for a superstar who shines in the regular season and the playoffs.
Marner is a star in his own right, and the numbers back it. Since signing his six-year, $65-million extension with the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2019-20 season, the 27-year-old’s recorded the seventh-most regular-season points and has had the fifth-most assists in the NHL.
That said, NHL stars are also paid to perform in the post-season, and Marner’s 0.89 playoff points-per-game average in that same timeframe has caused some skepticism as to whether or not he will fit into the Maple Leafs’ competitive future.
That’s not to say his regular-season performance hasn’t justified a raise. Given his integral role in consistently putting the Maple Leafs in a position to compete in the playoffs year over year, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Marner would be earning less than his current $10.9-million salary – especially with the cap rising.
By no means did Draisaitl take a pay cut, but he would have likely been offered more money on the open market if he chose to test free agency next summer. The same will apply to Marner.
Marner’s value, like the rest of the team’s core, will be measured based on his performance in the playoffs. Unlike the others who have already been locked up, it feels like this post-season will ultimately determine what he will be earning and from what team that contract will come.
