The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new coach in Craig Berube replacing Sheldon Keefe to try to help the team get over the hump in the postseason after another disappointing first-round exit, and general manager Brad Treliving is expected by many to make significant changes, with Mitch Marner's name at the center of attention, but people might be getting ahead of themselves, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

“We are indeed in NHL silly season,” LeBrun wrote in The Athletic. “The time of year when a general manager like Barry Trotz is asked about Mitch Marner point-blank in a local media session. And don't get me wrong, I love that a reporter would ask. There is no bad question. You never know what you're going to get as an answer! I'm the king of stupid questions. As a piece of advice to young sports writers, some of my so-called stupid questions over the years have gotten the best responses from GMs, coaches and players. But in this case, Trotz essentially laughed it off.”

There has been a lot of speculation regarding the Nashville Predators potentially acquiring Mitch Marner from the Maple Leafs in a trade this offseason. Toronto fans and even the organization seemingly might want to shake things up, and the Predators just offloaded salary by trading Ryan McDonagh back to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

However, LeBrun reports that the Maple Leafs and Predators have not talked about a Marner trade. Not only that, but the Maple Leafs have not talked to a single team regarding a Marner trade as of yet. The key word there is “yet”, meaning that talks could eventually happen, but the focus for Brad Treliving has just shifted from the coaching search. It is too early to tell what type of moves he has in mind for this offseason.

Should the Leafs move Mitch Marner?

Marner is one of the more productive players on the Maple Leafs' roster. He has racked up a ton of points in the regular season over the years, but he has been a target of scrutiny in the team's recent playoff failures. He is on the books for one more season in 2024-2025 at a $10.903 million cap hit. Another component of all of this is that he has a no-movement clause in his contract as well, so even if the Maple Leafs want to trade him, he might not want to go.

Still, Marner will be a free agent in a year if he does not sign an extension this offseason. It is unknown whether or not the Maple Leafs have any interest in that at this point. It would be a controversial move in the eyes of some fans due to the amount of criticism Marner faces for his playoff performances.

Only time will tell what Marner's future is with the Maple Leafs. For now, it is too early to tell either way.