The Toronto Maple Leafs may be prevented from re-signing Mitch Marner by Auston Matthews. In particular, Matthews’ contract might be the obstacle preventing Marner and the Leafs from reaching an agreement.
Although I had already considered it, insider Pierre LeBrun recently wrote in The Athletic that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche are facing comparable problems with their key free agents.
In particular, the hold-up keeping Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen from signing deals is what LeBrun called each team’s “internal cap.”
This “cap” refers to a self-imposed limit on the maximum deal each team could dish out to their free agents. Specifically, the Avalanche would be reluctant to pay anyone beyond Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million AVV, while the Leafs would be unwilling to give anyone more than Matthews’ $13.25 million cap hit.
Based on that logic, neither Rantanen nor Marner can expect to get paid more, at least AAV-wise, than their team’s perceived top player.
However, what if Marner believes he is more valuable than Matthews? What happens if Marner believes he ought to receive a better deal than Matthews?
The Leafs would be in a difficult position as they attempt to sign Marner without outbidding Matthews. It’s important to note that Matthews’ desire to be the highest-paid player in the league was discussed during his 2023 contract negotiations.
John Tavares, the captain at the time, didn’t seem to mind that Matthews was paid more than he was. Although we may argue over whether Marner is worth more than Matthews, the reality is that Marner’s possible contract is significantly impacted by salary inflation.
