Parenting 101 – always want what’s best for your kid.

Paul Marner is no different, however, I have been fed some information and it’s my job to report on it, so I’m going to do that below, and then we’re going to have some fun, because I know we are all sick of these Marner talks.

First off, don’t blame Mitch here.

Stop saying the Leafs should trade him, and stop saying he’s really not that good at hockey because 94 points as a 21-year-old is crazy-good and Kyle Dubas has zero interest in trading him. Mitch Marner is currently stuck between a rock and a hard place. All he wants to do is play hockey with his Maple Leafs teammates, but unfortunately for Mitch at this time, his Dad’s demands remain extreme.

Yesterday I spoke with someone connected to the Maple Leafs, and here’s a little nugget to start your weekend:

1) Paul Marner was the one who called Zurich and if Mitch doesn’t have a contract, they are prepared for him to play games in the Swiss, not just train

2) Paul Marner will fight until the end to get Mitch the exact same contract as Auston Matthews. Matthews is and always will be ‘the’ comparable.

3) Have you ever wondered why the Maple Leafs haven’t named a Captain yet? A huge part of the reason is Paul Marner is demanding a letter on Mitch’s jersey. Direct quote from my source –  ” If it goes to Matthews and Marner doesn’t at least get an A, the Marner camp will lose its minds”

They went on to mention JT appears the choice to avoid politics, I could personally see it going to Morgan Rielly if that’s the case, just to keep all the ego’s in check

The Maple Leafs can’t afford to pay Mitch Marner the exact same as Auston Matthews this season, but they can manage it the rest of the contract. As of right now, that’s not good enough for Paul Marner. This seems to all becoming Eric Lindros 2.0 and here it was Willy Nylander changing to #88.

Ok time for a little fun. Imagine Kyle Dubas leaked out a bunch of extreme demands from Marner’s camp, just to prove to Leafs Nation it’s not him that’s holding up this process. What would they look like? I took a stab at it.

Paul Marner wants the following for his son Mitchell:

1. Paul wants the crust cut off of all Mitch’s club sandwiches on the road

2. Paul wants Auston Matthews to re-tape Mitch’s sticks between periods

3. Paul wants the intro video before home games to only show Mitch highlights, doesn’t matter if they are from a previous season

4. Paul wants the team to all warm up in Mitch Marner jerseys each home game

5. Paul wants Mitch to average more ice time than Auston Matthews, even if it means Mitch takes a shift on defence

6. Paul wants Mitch to have a bowl of MnM peanuts in his locker at all times, and only the blue ones

7. Paul wants Mitch to be allowed to change his number before any game he chooses, just in case he feels like going Sundin or Gilmour for a night

8. Paul wants a translator to be hired for Mitch, to follow him around at all times, so he never has to answer to the media and can just pretend he doesn’t know English and speak directly to the translator only

9. Paul wants all Starbucks baristas to put “Mitch>Auston” on his pre-game coffee cups

10. If the Maple Leafs get put out in the first round of the playoffs again, Paul Marner wants a coaching job next season

Times like these can be hard on a hockey player, the business side is a pain in the ass sometimes. It can also be hard for fans too, media alike, and anyone else who cares to pay attention to it. However, enough with the hate people.

Stop calling for Mitch’s head, this isn’t his fault. Stop telling Ex-Leaf Dave Bolland his CTE has driven him crazy because he thinks Marner is worth more than Matthews. Bolland may have sucked during his time in Toronto, doesn’t mean you should be wishing brutality on the guy.

The Maple Leafs are expecting the 2019/2020 season to be one of the biggest in franchise history. And in a few weeks, when training camp opens, we will see what chapter one of this years’ book will be titled.

Paul Marner continues to hold out his son – or – Mitchell and the boys open camp with drama in the rear-view.

Let’s hope for everyone involved, Paul lets his kid play.