Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Hypothetical Mitch Marner Trades

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are not going to trade Mitch Marner, but they could get a lot for him if they did.

Imagine if the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Mitch Marner this offseason? Would the fanbase erupt or would the majority be happy to see him go?

As it currently stands, I’d say that half of Leafs fans would be happy to drive Marner to the airport, while the other half would be devastated. Although he’s arguably a top-three player in franchise history already, his game doesn’t translate in the playoffs right now.

He’s a regular season warrior and his $10.93M salary-cap could be used in multiple ways if they traded him. However, if you’re going to trade one of the faces of the franchise, you better get a big haul in return.

Since he plays penalty-kill, power-play and is effective 5v5, Marner isn’t going to be shipped out for pennies on the dollar. Instead, the Leafs will need to win this trade or get equal value if they feel like they’re ready to move on from him.

It’s funny that the idea of trading Marner is such a crazy thought, yet in the NBA, these types of trades happen every single year. The superstar’s are always moving and even the best player in the world, LeBron James, has played on three different franchises already.

However in hockey, it’s an unwritten rule that only the greats retire with the team they were drafted with.

It’s very dumb and makes this sport way less exciting, so although trading Marner could make the Leafs worse, I almost just want to see it based on entertainment. Here are three hypothetical trades involving Mitch Marner.

ELMONT, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 22: Mark Scheifele #55 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the New York Islanders at the UBS Arena on February 22, 2023 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Winnipeg Jets

Hypothetical Trade:

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry and 1st Round Pick
Winnipeg Jets acquire: Mitch Marner

Scheifele is a 40-goal scorer and seems desperate to get out of Winnipeg.

With only one year left on his contract, he could be the missing piece for the last Stanley Cup run with Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander.

At $6.125M, Scheifele provides a ton of value and would be $4.5M cheaper than Marner. By trading for him, it would open up a lot of cap-space to potentially re-sign Ryan O’Reilly, which in my opinion, should be their number-one priority.

With Tavares aging, he’s naturally going to transition to the wing, so a Scheifele/Tavares second line would be amazing to watch. Push Nylander to the first line with Matthews and that’s a loaded 1-2 punch.

This would be a blockbuster trade if both teams pursued it but it could also be one that benefits all parties, at least for one year.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 06: Erik Karlsson #65 of the San Jose Sharks passes the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at SAP Center on April 06, 2023 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 2: San Jose Sharks

Hypothetical Trade:

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Erik Karlsson
San Jose Sharks acquire: Mitch Marner

Would you rather have a number-one defenseman or a first-line right winger on your roster for $11M? Well that would be the question Toronto would ask themselves with this move.

Karlsson is coming off a 25 goal, 101 point performance last year and as such, it would be crazy to think that he can recreate that total. After four tough seasons, he bounced back and looked like the two-time Norris Trophy winner (and soon to be three-time) that he is.

He has another four years left on his contract, but he if he play at even 75 percent of how he did last year, it would be worth it.

Toronto hasn’t had a true number-one defenseman in year’s but Karlsson could be that player. They need someone who can eat up 30 minutes per night and play in every situation and that’s what he would bring.

I’m sure San Jose would prefer to move on from Karlsson’s contract, despite him having the best year of his career, so this trade would allow them to gain a top-10 player in Marner, without having to give up many other assets.

EDMONTON, CANADA – JANUARY 25: Patrik Laine #29 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates during the game in the second period against the Edmonton Oilers on January 25, 2023 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Lawrence Scott/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Columbus Blue Jackets

Hypothetical Trade:

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Patrik Laine, Boone Jenner, 2023 1st Round (22nd Overall)
Columbus Blue Jackets acquire: Mitch Marner

Laine has had some issues during his first few seasons as a professional, but there’s no denying his talent.

Paired beside Matthews every night, these two could be a powerful goal-scoring nightmare for any team.

Despite the criticism against him, I love this trade because of Laine’s size and goal-scoring prowess. At $8.7M, that’s a good price for a 40-goal scorer and if he played in Toronto, there’s no doubt he’d not only reach 40 again, but could get to 50 goals.

Columbus is still in a rebuild and could use someone of Marner’s talents, however it would cost them and I think they would do this deal.

Laine has baggage, and although Jenner is the captain of the team, trading for Marner speeds up their rebuild. Him and Johnny Gaudreau would be like a video game out there and would each put 100 points easily on a line together.

Next. Shanahan Should Have Fired Himself. dark

This is a fair trade for both teams and Laine would tear it up on Toronto if they made this deal.

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