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.