Toronto Maple Leafs: Potential Trades for Marner or Nylander

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Will the Toronto Maple Leafs trade one of their core four players?

That question gets asked every off-season due to the Toronto Maple Leafs lack of playoff success.

With Kyle Dubas gone and new general manager Brad Treliving taking over, a trade involving one of the core four is possible, although unlikely.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has a no-movement clause, and Auston Matthews isn’t going anywhere.

So, this leaves William Nylander and Mitch Marner as possible trade bait.

Beginning on July 1st, Marner will have a no-movement clause, while Nylander only has a modified no-trade clause. Nylander is infinitely more likely to go than Marner.

There are few, if any , examples in NHL history of a player of Marner’s quality being traded with the team trading him getting back anything close to the level of quality they gave away.

New GM Brad Treliving has to make some tough choices and little time to make them. If he does trade Nylander or Marner, the trade will have lasting effects on him and the team. Not the easiest situation to come into as the new GM, but that could be why he was selected.

Nylander has one year left with a salary cap hit of $6.9 million.

Marner has two years left with a $10.9 million salary cap hit.

Keeping in mind that even though there is a near-zero percent chance Marner is actually traded, people are discussing it so it’s worth looking into. So, what should a trade for either of these two look like? Here are some examples. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

William Nylander registered 40 goals and 47 assists for 87 points in 82 games last season.

At 27 years-old, he is in his prime and has the potential to be a 100-point player. If the Toronto Maple Leafs decides to trade Nylander, they’ll try to add a player with similar stats but maybe a different playing style. Here are some potential trades the Maple Leafs could make for Nylander.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade William Nylander to Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are going through a bit of a fire sale right now. Could Toronto capitalize on that? They are a team that Treliving should definitely be calling.

To Philadelphia: William Nylander
To Toronto: Travis Konecny, 2024 Conditional 2nd round pick. The pick becomes a 1st round selection if Nylander re-signs with the Flyers.

The Flyers own two picks in the 2024 first round and potentially own two picks in the second round as well. Toronto has no second-round picks until the 2026 NHL draft, so recouping one would be helpful. If Nylander re-signs and Toronto gets a first-round pick, they’d have two selections in the 2024 first round unless they trade one of them.

Travis Konecny registered 31 goals and 30 assists for 61 points in 60 games last season. Over a full 82 games his numbers are very similar to Nylander’s. Konecny has two years left on his contract for $5.5 million a season.

That gives Toronto a small cap savings of $1.4 million. Probably not enough to trade a superstar for a much worse player.

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade William Nylander to Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are a team in win-now mode like Toronto. A chance to add the offense of Nylander to their lineup could allow Toronto GM Brad Treliving to add a promising young star to Toronto’s top six to shake things up a bit and a top four defenseman to replace UFA Justin Holl.

To Carolina: William Nylander
To Toronto: Seth Jarvis, Brett Pesce

Seth Jarvis was selected by the Hurricanes in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft with the 13th overall pick.

He has one year left on his entry-level contract (ELC) with a $894,167 cap hit. Jarvis will be a restricted free agent (RFA) after next season. He registered 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 82 games. Jarvis has played well in the playoffs for Carolina the past two seasons, with eight goals and ten assists for 18 points in 29 playoff games.

Brett Pesce is a 28-year-old right-shooting defenseman with size (6’3, 206 Lbs.) He registered five goals and 25 assists for 30 points in 82 games last season. Pesce has one year left on his contract with a $4.025 million cap hit.

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

With two years left on his contract and the fact that he’s a 90+ point producer, the Toronto Maple Leafs would need to fleece whichever team they trade Marner to. Here are a couple of potential trades Toronto could make for Marner.

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner to Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have many young players to entice the Maple Leafs with for acquiring Marner. Brad Treliving could set Toronto up nicely for now and the foreseeable future.

To Colorado: Mitch Marner (25% Retained)
To Toronto: Alex Newhook, Devon Toews, 2024 1st round pick.

Newhook is a 22-year-old RFA looking for a new contract. He registered 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 82 games. Toews is a stud left-shooting defenseman. He registered seven goals and 43 assists for 50 points in 80 games. Toronto needs more offence from their defense, and Toews could be the answer.

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner to New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils have a good young team with tons of talent. They also have tons of salary cap space. Adding Marner to their roster would be a no-brainer if given the chance.

To New Jersey: Mitch Marner
To Toronto: Jesper Bratt, 2024 1st round pick

Jesper Bratt is 24 years old and just recorded back-to-back 73-point seasons. He has the potential to reach the same 90+ points that Marner is getting now. Bratt is an RFA in need of a new contract.

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner to Los Angeles Kings

A trade between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings should land Treliving two quality pieces for trading away Marner.

To Los Angeles: Mitch Marner
To Toronto: Adrian Kempe, Sean Durzi

Kempe has three years left on his contract with a $5.5 million cap hit.

He registered 41 goals and 21 assists for 67 points in 82 games. Toronto could bring Durzi back home. Durzi was drafted by Toronto in the 2nd round of the 2018 NHL draft.

He was traded to the Kings in the trade that brought Jake Muzzin to Toronto in 2019. Durzi has a cap hit $1.7 million next season, and then he becomes an RFA. Last season he recorded nine goals, and 29 assists for 38 points in 72 games.

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Overall, while these trades are realistic, it is very easy to see why teams don’t generally trade superstar players – the returns would likely start a riot.

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