Real reason revealed on why Mitch Marner will leave the Maple Leafs

The March 7 trade deadline has come and gone and Mitch Marner stays put with the Toronto Maple Leafs. For now. It was reported that Toronto approached Marner about waiving his no-movement clause to join the Carolina Hurricanes in a trade that would’ve brought Mikko Rantanen to the Leafs. Marner declined to move, reiterating that he wants to stay in Toronto despite declining to discuss extending his contract during this season.

This prompted Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun to cite a hockey insider claiming Marner is tired of being the public pinata of the team, pushing him to leave Toronto this summer.

“If they go until playoffs without signing Marner or centre John Tavares, they can base their contract situations for the future on playoff success or failure of this year,” wrote Simmons.

If Marner decides to stay, it could be a true test of character for the superstar forward, who is fed up with how he’s been treated, especially when the Maple Leafs get ousted in the playoffs.

I’m not sure playing the victim is the right call here for Marner, who, despite impressive regular season accolades, needs to provide more during the postseason. If he wants to become the highest paid Maple Leaf, he will need to prove he can lead his team to success when it matters most.

If Marner and the Maple Leafs falter again in the playoffs, maybe the top forward will leave Toronto to test free agency crying out how he deserves better treatment from the fans and pundits…

I mean, at this point, it’s on him to prove his worth especially during the playoffs, and maybe he won’t be the whipping boy in Toronto and will instead land a massive new contract.

If he walks, reports have hinted at the Hurricanes being very interested in pursing Marner during free agency.