Earlier in the off-season, there was a lot of speculation about Mitch Marner’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While the rumors have died down over the summer, Marner was present on Wednesday when John Tavares passed the team captaincy to Auston Matthews.

Marner maintained his focus on the transition between the two leaders, but reiterated his wish to stay with the Maple Leafs as he enters the final year of his current contract.

“I’m not going to delve into that too much today,” Marner told reporters about his future. “I’ll just say that I love being here, as I have from Day 1. I feel very fortunate and lucky to be a Maple Leaf.”

“Today is about these two amazing people.”

Marner praised both Tavares and Matthews, noting that Tavares helped the team grow both as individuals and players, and commended Matthews for his dedication to improvement on and off the ice. He believes Matthews will excel as captain and anticipates a promising future for the team.

The 27-year-old forward became eligible for an extension on July 1, but reports suggest he is content to begin the season without a new deal. Marner has a full no-move clause this season as part of his six-year, $65.408 million contract signed in September 2019.

With a cap hit of $10.9 million, Marner scored 26 goals and recorded 85 points in 69 games last season, maintaining a point-per-game pace for the sixth consecutive year. However, he managed only one goal and three points in seven playoff games against the Boston Bruins, contributing to Toronto’s seventh opening-round exit in eight years.

Drafted fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2015, Marner has accumulated 194 goals and 639 points in 576 career games.