SALT LAKE CITY — In an unannounced and brief media availability Sunday afternoon, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving addressed recent reports regarding Mitch Marner being approached about a possible trade to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We want Mitch here for a long time,” Treliving said.
Marner has been at the centre of speculation surrounding his future with the Leafs. After Saturday night’s 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, Marner said he “had a feeling something might happen” around the trade deadline.
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Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner addresses reports about Hurricanes trade discussions
Treliving spoke after Leafs practice on Sunday. He said he is “aligned” with Marner, pointing to hopes from both the team and Marner that the uncertainty surrounding his future — Marner is in the final year of a six-year contract — should not be a distraction to the Leafs.
“It’s not a distraction,” Treliving said. “But I said, we think the world of Mitch. But it’s just not a question we’re going to get into every day. We’ve dealt with it here. We move forward. We want Mitch. We’re all focused on the next 19 (games) to go. So I just wanted to come and address you on it so you don’t have to track me down, and we’ll move on, OK?”
However, in a sense, it does feel like the Maple Leafs GM addressing reporters unannounced suggests Marner’s uncertain future could start to become a distraction.
“Just to respond to some of the reporting from yesterday with regards to Mitch, I’m not going to get into any questions — we talked about it the other day — with regards to contracts and the business side of it. We’re not going to get into it other than (to say) we’re aligned on this. We’re worried about this season. We’re worried about the games we have coming up,” Treliving said.
After his statement, Treliving took one question regarding how Marner has handled the recent noise around him, especially after scoring two goals in Saturday’s loss.
“Everything. We like everything about Mitch,” Treliving said. “But we talked about it at the beginning of the year, we’re going to try to handle the business side away from it. But I think he’s handled everything extremely well. But that’s where the focus is right now.”
“And I get it, you guys have jobs to do and I totally respect that,” Treliving continued. “But I just wanted to make sure that we came out and addressed it.”
Treliving is known for usually speaking to reporters in a colloquial manner. On Sunday afternoon, his tone felt far more defiant.
“I support Mitch 1000 percent,” Treliving said. “He’s not out here on an island with us. We’re trying to worry about winning hockey games.”
Despite multiple questions from the assembled media in Salt Lake City, Treliving then abruptly left.
His availability came after a particularly up-tempo practice in Salt Lake City, with head coach Craig Berube sounding louder and more direct than he has in weeks.
The Leafs are now winless in their last three games. They have since fallen out of the Atlantic Division lead and sit in second place behind the Florida Panthers.
(Photo of Mitch Marner: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
