The Toronto Maple Leafs hold some leverage in the Mitch Marner negotiations as they can offer him that exclusive eighth year, which he and other suitors may be interested in.
I've said this before and I'll say it again but I believe that Kyle Dubas was going to trade Mitch Marner two years ago prior to his no-move-clause kicking in. He was ready to make a splash, shake up the roster and change the "DNA" of this team. That ulimately never happened, but there's still a chance the Leafs find some value for him now.
It's unlkely that a team will trade the Leafs an asset for Marner but you never know. He's going to be highly touted and he's not going to be cheap, so other teams may be willing to unload a player or draft pick to be able to sign Marner. Not only that, but a sign-and-trade opens up every team in the NHL to be able to afford Marner so he may be up for that, plus that eigth year is critical.
As a UFA, Marner has all of the leverage in the world, but that eighth year could be super valuable to him because that will push him to 36-years-old, and he'd most likely make more money in that last year of his deal than he would signing a new deal at 35-years-old. Most players that age aren't signing for $12-14M, which is what Marner could fetch on the open market right now. As a result, let's look at three possible sign-and-trade destinations.
No. 1: Los Angeles Kings
The Trade: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Warren Foegele
The LA Kings have $21M in projected salary cap, so they could sign Marner without moving something, but they may be willing to move off of someone who's a soon-to-be UFA in order to secure the talented winger. Warren Foegele, who has two years left at $3.5M AAV, is a solid third-line winger for the Kings and would be the perfect depth piece who can play up with Auston Matthews or fill a third-line role.
The LA Kings are missing a superstar up front and could really solidify their roster with the addition of Marner. If Marner showed up, their first three lines would still look really good, even without Foegele, as they could go: Kuzemko-Kopitar-Marner/Fiala-Byfield-Kempe/Moore-Danault-Laferriere. That's an incredible mix of high-end offense, but also defensively-minded forwards.
No. 2: Anaheim Ducks
The Trade: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Alex Killorn
The Anaheim Ducks have a fantastic young group of Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson but are missing that legitimate superstar, which Marner is. They have $38M in cap-space, so they can offer Marner whatever he wants, but they can also potentially sign another big-name to join him and help get this team to the playoffs for the first time in a few years.
WIth one year left on his contract, Alex Killorn is a pending UFA and the perfect sign-and-trade option for Toronto. If GM Brad Treliving wants to change the culture and DNA of Toronto, who better to bring in then a two-time Stanley Cup champion in Killorn and someone who can score, but play that "playoff-style" of hockey.
At 35-years-old as a pending UFA, Killorn most likely won't re-sign with the young Ducks next year anyway, so trading him away to push Marner into his position seems like a logical choice and something they could consider to clear even more cap-space and improve their team.
No. 3: Vegas Golden Knights
The trade: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire William Karlsson
The Vegas Golden Knights have never been afraid of the big move and acquiring Marner seems like thier next big-fish. With only $9M in cap-space, Marner would be tough to get right now, but with a sign-and-trade for William Karlsson, they would be able to slid under the salary cap.
Currently possessing $5.9M contract for two more seasons, Karlsson could be a great depth piece and second-line left-winger on Toronto. He's only one year removed from a 30-goal season, so he clearly has a knack for the back of the net.
Let's say the Leafs can go trade for Brayden Schenn to play second-line centre alongside Karlsson. For $12.4M total, you could have Schenn and Karlsson, so wouldn't you rather have that than one Mitch Marner? That's right about the number that he'll sign for, if not more, so I think I'd rather have the 2-for-1 and as a result, I think the Leafs should really consider this move, and/or the other two trades I suggested.