Toronto Maple Leafs may have a backup plan for Mitch Marner

Mitch Marner is an unrestricted free agent this summer and while the team wants to sign him, they may already have a backup plan in place.

Marner is a player who has been sensational with the Leafs, at least in the regular season. His playoff performances have left a lot to be desired and some fans are not too happy with that. However, the Leafs and Marner reportedly have mutual interest to stay together in the long-term.

Having said that, Marner is expensive and there is a world in which Marner does not re-sign in Toronto. If that happens, the Leafs need to figure something out. As Nick Kypreos writes, there is a world in which they go after some pretty big names that could certainly come as a surprise to Leafs fans.

"Tampa Bay's backup plan all along was to replace the money for Stamkos with free-agent Jake Guentzel's new contract. A similar scenario could play out for Toronto with pending free agents such as Mikko Rantanen, Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand, providing they are still available on July 1."

Rantanen, Bennett, and Marchand are pretty fantastic players. One has to wonder though if these are just worst-case scenarios. It seems almost written in stone at this point that Marner will want to return. That said, a back-up plan has never hurt anyone.

Do you believe that Mitch Marner will re-sign in Toronto? Let us know in the poll down below and stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite players and teams.

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
NHL Insider Believes the Maple Leafs May Already Have a Contingency Plan if Mitch Marner Walks

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Will Mitch Marner re-sign in Toronto?
YES	33	50 %
NO	33	50 %
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