In a snippet from an upcoming interview with Mitch Marner, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman finally received a response about his negotiations with the Leafs.

Marner opened his media availability on Wednesday at training camp with a statement about his contract status, refusing to answer questions. His agent, Darren Ferris, also commented on negotiations in an article with The Athletic.

While Marner was not taking questions about his contract at camp on Wednesday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed in a “quick hits”piece on Thursday that Marner did answer a specific question about his contract negotiations in an interview that will air during the upcoming Ottawa Senators, Maple Leafs pre-season game.

“He did answer one contract question: Some players feel very strongly that once the puck drops on the regular season, there should be no negotiations. Does he feel that way?

‘I don’t know if I would say that,’ he answered. ‘But I think for my sake, unless it gets really important or (I’m) really needed, I’m going to let my agent and Brad do all the talking and figure stuff out. I’m just going to focus on playing hockey and trying to help this team win games.'”
 

Entering the final season of his six-year deal that carries a $10.9M AAV, Marner confirmed that he is willing to negotiation through his agent during the season, similar to the way William Nylander handled his negotiations last season. How quickly an extension gets done remains to be seen, but if Marner starts the season the way Nylander did last year, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see one announced before the scheduled break for the Four Nations Face-off.