By Canadian Press

Marchand weighs in on Marner’s contract negotiations with Maple Leafs

Mar 5, 2019 | 10:20 AM

BOSTON — Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to put their contract negotiations on hold until the off-season.

But that won’t stop Brad Marchand of the rival Boston Bruins from weighing in.

Marner had a goal and two assists in Toronto’s 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night, bringing his points total for the season up to 81. Tweets from the NHL’s public relations department noted that Marner became the first Maple Leafs player to reach the 80-point mark in a season since Phil Kessel did it in 2013-14 and that the London Knights product also became the eighth player in franchise history to require 66 or fewer games to reach the 80-point mark.

Marchand replied from his verified Twitter account, speculating how many millions of dollars the average annual value of Marner’s new contract would be.

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“I cant wait to see this kids new deal… 12m AAV?? It better be,” said Marchand, adding the hashtag #Marnerwatch.

The NHL’s official Twitter account replied with an animated gif of Marner’s mother, Bonnie, giving a double thumbs up.

Entering the season, Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas had to try to sign the young trio of Marner, William Nylander and Auston Matthews before they become restricted free agents on July 1. Dubas signed Nylander to a six-year, US$41.77-million contract on Dec. 1 while Matthews reached a five-year, $58.17-million extension on Feb. 5.

“Neither I nor Mitch wanted any distractions during the playing season,” Marner’s agent Darren Ferris told The Canadian Press on Feb. 6. “This team, I believe, has a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

“Things are going in the right direction, we’re not far off. Everything has been positive. The market will dictate the market at that time.”

Nylander’s AAV is $6.962 million while Matthews has an AAV of $11.634 million.

The 21-year-old Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 81 points (24 goals, 57 assists) and is ninth in the NHL. Matthews had 30 goals and 30 assists, while Nylander — who refused to play until his deal was signed — has five goals and 11 assists in 38 games.

The Canadian Press