Immediately after the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered another early elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a first-round series loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins last May, questions about the future of Mitch Marner with the team started to become among the main topics concerning the franchise. Over a month later since that Game 7 loss to the Bruins, Marner, who has one more year left on his current contract that will earn him $10.9 million in the 2024-25 NHL season, is still with Toronto with his outlook continuing to be a tough one to read.

Potential Mitch Marner trade facing a number of challenges

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) skates with the puck against the Boston Bruins in the first period in game six of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena.
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

But just because Marner is still in Toronto's fold doesn't mean that the Maple Leafs are not trying to find a way to move him. It's just not easy pulling off such a transaction for a number of factors, including, of course, the fact that Marner will have to approve a proposed trade first due to the No-Movement Clause on his contract. More than that, it appears that other challenges hinder a potential Maple Leafs-Mitch Marner split, per The Athletic's Jonas Siegel and James Mirtle.

“One, in particular, seems to be a lack of teams that a) Marner would conceivably accept a trade to that can b) accommodate his $10.9 million cap hit for next season and c) are willing to send back piece(s) the Leafs would find attractive, which would ideally include an impact defenceman.”

In addition to the aforementioned factors, there is also the financial security that Marner and his agent, Darren Ferris, are looking for the forward's potential landing spot to provide via an extension deal. To that end, any team who would want to trade for Marner would also likely desire to get at least some kind of assurance that he'd be willing to play for them beyond the 2024-25 season.

The Maple Leafs could also end this Marner saga and focus on other important items in the offseason by simply signing him to an extension. Except it's not as easy as it sounds. Marner and his camp have already indicated that they aren't willing to talk extension with Toronto, as previously stated by NHL insider Frank Seravalli during a recent appearance on The JD Bunkis podcast.

“Extending him is not on the table, as far as I know. He’s already verbalized it, and this is, again, potentially a protective measure,” Seravalli said (h/t Mike Gould of The Leafs Nation).

“Tell me why this would make sense from his perspective. So, he has said, ‘I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf.’ He’s a hometown kid, he wants to win there, he wants to get it done. So if that part is true, which I believe it is, why would you then also say, ‘We’re not talking extension’? Can you explain that to me?” Seravalli added.

Amid all the noise and speculations attached to Mitch Marner this offseason, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said that the 27-year-old skater is aware of how he's being viewed by Toronto's front office.

“I'd caution us to not pay too much attention to some of the noise. We can't react to all of the noise. … Mitch knows how I feel about him as a player,” Treliving said (h/t Chris Johnston of The Athletic).

In what could turn out to be his final season with the Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner recorded 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points across 69 games in the 2023-24 NHL campaign.