Maple Leafs Rumors: Insider Reveals Mitch Marner's July 1 Plans Coming Into Focus

The NHL's Free Agent Frenzy hits on July 1st, with teams all over the league ready to hand out contracts, large and small, to UFAs. The largest contract will be going to the Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner. But insider Darren Dreger on TSN radio has revealed on Tuesday morning that we'll all have to wait a bit longer for Marner's decision.

The big boys on July 1st normally get sorted through, they sign their contracts and they move forward. I don't think that's going to be the case with Marner on July 1st. I really don't. I think that interested teams—and there'll be a number of them, no doubt about that—will have ongoing conversations with Marner and his family, and they'll whittle that list of teams down to a place where Marner & maybe his wife want to go visit those individual teams with the hope, maybe the expectation, that they'll have a decision by the middle of July.

Show hosts Carlo Colaiacovo and Aaron Korolnek were not happy with this revelation; "Whaat? C'mon Darren Ferris... What are you doing, man?", referring to Marner's agent.

"You're not going to Vegas or Florida or any city of interest and not spending time with the hockey people," added Dreger. "So that's just the process that could unfold. We may have to play the waiting game here."

Of course, the big question that leaves for the rest of us, is will this hold up the summer for the other top free agent forwards that teams would 'fall back on' if they don't get Marner – players like Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, Matt Duchene? We don't include Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and John Tavares in this list of those being 'held up' by Marner, as their situations are unique, and don't really depend on a Marner decision.

We learned a couple of days ago about another surprise possibility that could enter the Marner talks, in that he might not be looking for a max-term deal.