To be honest, I’ve consciously resisted writing about the Mitch Marner situation for most of 2019. The last thing the world needed was another tired column about stalled contract negotiations that had nothing new to add.



But it feels like it’s time to break the silence. In part because some new information is filtering out.



I’ll get into where I think things are headed with Marner and the Maple Leafs a little deeper in this piece, but there are some leaguewide threads that are interesting here that deserve addressing first. Let’s start with a macro view, connect some dots, and then come back to the micro, which is the last piece of business that Toronto needs to get done before the season starts.



It’s been fascinating talking to various executives and agents around the league about the Marner situation this week, as they all see it a little differently. One view that’s shared, however, is that this contract will be the...