from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,

... Along the way — Feb. 5, to be exact — the Leafs signed Auston Matthews to a five-year contract with an annual average value of $11.634-million US.

Ferris, it’s believed, is seeking for Marner a similar contract, at least where the AAV is concerned, to that of Matthews. In other words, the potential of a long summer regarding negotiations looms, and never mind where the talks could stand come the opening of training camp in September.

We spoke to Ferris briefly on Wednesday afternoon. Regarding the Marner negotiations with Dubas now, Ferris would only offer a polite, “No comment.”

If Ferris is able to convince Dubas that Matthews-type money is what his client deserves, the Leafs would become the only team in the NHL with three players under contract with an AAV exceeding $11 million, as John Tavares signed for seven years and $77 million last July....

The Leafs, of course, are staring down major salary-cap issues, and now there is speculation the cap for the 2019-20 season might not hit the original estimation of $83 million.

This is not good news for Dubas, who needs every cent he can get.

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