The first recorded sighting of Mitch Marner and new Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube was for a cup of coffee.
Whether they stay together longer than the old NHL expression for a quick visit to the big leagues is still to be ironed out by others of influence, Marner’s representatives and Berube’s boss Brad Treliving. But a post on X Monday of the two having a morning brew, snapped by a fan who sighted them in a remote corner of an Etobicoke restaurant the past few days, is a reminder there’s no imminent divorce, contrary to much public opinion.
Marner was wearing a Jays ballcap, one of the subtleties often underlining his love for his hometown, where the Marner Assist Foundation has such a large footprint. Marner’s agent Darren Ferris did not immediately respond to a message asking about the meeting’s significance.
A week ago, Berube said just about every Leaf had contacted him upon being named Sheldon Keefe’s replacement. At the time, Treliving stick-handled around the question of whether Marner, with one year remaining on his deal and now a month before the Leafs can start talking about any future pact, saying only “we’ll see” as his coaching search had been the priority.
The crux of the matter is Marner’s $10.9-million US salary looks hard-pressed to be raised dramatically by the club when playoff impact is factored in and the Leafs have already increased the salaries of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly. The Leafs are still paying aging captain John Tavares $11 million for one more season. Freeing up Marner’s money through a trade has obvious benefits for Treliving, who could spend it on a goaltender if he plans to upgrade on free-agent Ilya Samsonov or a puck-moving defenceman.
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