Dubas: 'Imperative' for Leafs to sign Marner before July 1

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday it's "imperative" for the team to sign Mitch Marner before July 1, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.

If the Leafs don't sign Marner before July 1 he'll be left exposed to restricted free agency, and another team could ink him to an offer sheet. That would be problematic for the salary-cap crunched Maple Leafs, as they would be forced to match the offer to retain Marner.

Toronto projects to enter next season with roughly $13 million in cap space, and Marner could demand an annual figure north of $10 million. Key forwards Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen are also set to become RFAs this summer.

Marner is coming off a breakout 94-point season, which led the Leafs and ranked 11th in the NHL.