Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner during a game against the Ottawa Senators, in Ottawa, on March 18, 2023.Marc DesRosiers
Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner says he’s only focused on the upcoming season – and not his future.
The winger’s status, however, cast a long shadow as the club reconvened for training camp Wednesday.
Marner opened his media availability with a statement to reporters saying he wouldn’t be taking questions about his contract.
The forward from nearby Markham, Ont., is entering the final year of big-money deal signed in 2019.
Marner, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer and has taken plenty of heat in hockey’s biggest media market for the team’s post-season stumbles, was eligible to ink an extension July 1.
Toronto is coming off another disappointing playoff run that saw Marner pick up just three points over seven games in the Leafs’ first-round loss to the Boston Bruins.