Darrell Davis: Marner’s RFA price is too steep

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner might be going to Switzerland. Smart guy!

It’s a beautiful country with decent pro hockey. The food’s very good, too, but because it’s such a small country the Swiss aren’t especially warm to foreigners who want to stay there.

Marner might capture their adulation for a short time in Switzerland. He won’t make as much money as he would in the NHL, but by starting this season in Switzerland he could leverage a better salary offer from the Leafs. Marner might just be blowing smoke, but his teammate William Nylander tried the European route last season before rejoining Toronto with a huge contract and bigger expectations, which he didn’t come close to fulfilling.

Marner and his fellow restricted free agents, including Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, could also spark a change in the NHL’s free-agent policies. Young stars like Marner, when completing their entry-level contracts, have little bargaining power as restricted free agents. Any rival team signing Marner would have to surrender four first-round draft choices. That’s too steep; that price should be reduced.