Report: "Toxicity in Leafs Nation" Could Stop Marner From Signing with Maple Leafs

The Mitch Marner drama continues to evolve for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Recent reports claim that he will easily be able to approach Leon Draisaitl territory on his next contract, but according to insider Nick Kypreos, "it's not just about hitting a number" for Marner.

He said on the Real Kyper & Bourne podcast on Friday that "there's other factors that come into play in this whole dynamic."

As we know, Mitch has taken a lot of heat here (from the fans). The question is, does he set himself up for that type of behavior to continue? Is he comfortable with it?

Kypreos feels that Marner is weighing the pros and cons of so-called "Leafs Nation", and the "toxicity" that it can bring.

I’m not sure Mitch Marner is in a race to go and get a contract right now. There are two sides to this. It’s not just Mitch sitting there going, ‘I have a number, hit it and I’ll sign'... Mitch is starting a family. (He's asking himself) 'Do I want my kids to be in an environment eventually if I stay for another eight years to grow up to kids in junior kindergarten or senior kindergarten going, 'your Dad screwed us with that contract!'. I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see.

Marner is having another excellent season, and has been the Leafs' best player, particularly as captain Auston Matthews has been out for the past nine games, and is off to a slower start than usual. Marner has 29 points in 22 games, is 8th in the league in assists with 20, and has seven goals and 15 points in the nine games Matthews has been out.

He's already earned the number on his next contract. But does he want it to be in Toronto, asks Kypreos.

"If Marner really wants to stay and can manage the noise around him, he can sign a contract tomorrow for either north or south of $13 million. But if he finds the toxicity within Leafs Nation that we see play out regularly to be too much to bear, he will walk away on July 1."