Toronto Maple Leafs Hypothetical Trade Options With the Jets

Option 3: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti, 2023 1st and 3rd, 2024 4th and 5th

Winnipeg Jets acquire: Mitch Marner

I told you the third trade was going to be totally bonkers, right? In this scenario, the Toronto Maple Leafs say goodbye to one of the NHL’s best players, Mitch Marner, opting for more assets while also still leaving the deal with a star player, the 26-year-old Kyle Connor who’s on a solid contract.

At $7.12 million AVV for the next three seasons, the 80-point man can be viewed as having one of the best-valued contracts in hockey, something the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need.

Along with Connor would come two other names, the first being Adam Lowry, who would be a nice piece for the Toronto Maple Leafs on their 3rd line, playing down the middle of the ice and adding depth to a team that’s set to lose a lot of it’s bottom six to free agency.

The 21-year-old Cole Perfetti would also be coming to Toronto, showing promise this past season for the Jets with 30 points in 50 games before suffering an upper-body injury.

The Leafs would also add multiple selections in this year’s NHL draft along with next year, something they sorely lack, having just three selections on June 28th due to several trades throughout the last few years. If nothing else, the draft picks could be used to add players to their roster, with the team currently having 10 UFAs unsigned from the 2022-23 season.

Unfortunately, with every good return comes a hefty price, and in this scenario, that price is a 26-year-old 99-point player in Mitch Marner. As for why this trade makes sense for Toronto, the only answer would be that the team is ready to move off its core four, and the most attractive piece is their second-best player who hasn’t performed to that level when the post-season comes around.

Now, I do want to make it clear, I’m not in the “trade Mitch Marner” business. But, if a tough move has to be made, you’d rather trade him than the team’s franchise player in Auston Matthews, assuming it comes down to one or the other.

The Jets walk away with one of the premier players in the NHL, while the Maple Leafs opt for a different approach to the makeup of their roster.