Mitch Marner Reveals When he Will Officially Make his Free Agency Decision
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Mitch Marner has a huge decision to make in free agency, but he and his agent Darren Ferris have decided that they would rather take their sweet time with it.
Toronto Maple Leafs superstar winger Mitch Marner is currently in the midst of a free agency decision that is going to anger a lot of people, no matter what happens.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights appear to be the favorites right now, but there is still a lot of time left for Marner to potentially change his mind and go elsewhere.
Overall, Maple Leafs fans will be watching this intently next week, especially as July 1st will be the first day that the winger can begin talking with rival teams.
Darren Ferris speaks on behalf of Mitch Marner
There has been a lot of hand-wringing over when Marner will officially make his decision, and whether or not he will do so in a timely manner.
In a new piece from Pierre LeBrun for The Athletic, he made it crystal clear that Marner will likely have his decision by July 15th, which is two weeks after Free Agency opens up.
As agent Darren Ferris explains, he and his client want to keep their options open and give ample respect to all teams involved.
It doesn't sound like Mitch Marner's going to make a decision right out of the gate. The plan is for Ferris and Marner to gauge interest from teams on July 1, narrow that list down, then visit a few select cities before making a decision - possibly by July 15.
«As per the rules, we can only speak with teams starting July 1,» Marner's agent, Darren Ferris, said Wednesday. «At that point, teams will have the chance to speak directly with Mitch. After those talks, he'll make an informed and thoughtful decision.»
That timeline helps take some of the pressure off - just in case a deal doesn't come together right away. And if Marner really does want to visit teams and cities before choosing, things could easily stretch beyond the first few days of free agency.
There's precedent for this kind of wait: Alex Pietrangelo visited Vegas before signing with the Golden Knights on Oct. 12, 2020 - three days after the market opened. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter made their joint splash with Minnesota on July 4, 2012, also three days in.
And then there's Nazem Kadri, who didn't sign with Calgary until August 18, 2022. That one took time due to Calgary needing to clear cap space - which they did by moving Sean Monahan to Montreal the same day. Kadri still secured a strong deal: seven years, $49 million, in a flat-cap year. So waiting didn't hurt him.
«As per the rules, we can only speak with teams starting July 1,» Marner's agent, Darren Ferris, said Wednesday. «At that point, teams will have the chance to speak directly with Mitch. After those talks, he'll make an informed and thoughtful decision.»
That timeline helps take some of the pressure off - just in case a deal doesn't come together right away. And if Marner really does want to visit teams and cities before choosing, things could easily stretch beyond the first few days of free agency.
There's precedent for this kind of wait: Alex Pietrangelo visited Vegas before signing with the Golden Knights on Oct. 12, 2020 - three days after the market opened. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter made their joint splash with Minnesota on July 4, 2012, also three days in.
And then there's Nazem Kadri, who didn't sign with Calgary until August 18, 2022. That one took time due to Calgary needing to clear cap space - which they did by moving Sean Monahan to Montreal the same day. Kadri still secured a strong deal: seven years, $49 million, in a flat-cap year. So waiting didn't hurt him.
Some teams may find this timeline to be a bit too long, especially since they have other players, needs, and holes to consider.
That said, Marner could be a transformational player for some of these teams, and that is why they are going to great lengths to appease his every demand.
Only time will tell who Mitch ends up with and whether or not he gets those $14 million offers some pundits are talking about.
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