Throughout the current NHL offseason, we have heard numerous rumors calling for the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade Mitch Marner.
After all, the Toronto Maple Leafs have failed to produce a deep Stanley Cup run during his tenure so far with the club.
Added to the fact that Marner is also carrying a hefty salary, he should be a prime candidate to move to gain some important cap relief. In addition, he should be able to net a decent return of prospect capital and/or young players in the process.
But wait a minute, before the Maple Leafs jump the gun to unload the 27-year-old superstar, they should really review the scenarios that arose for two other young promising stars in the NHL in recent years. That would be Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Consider Eichel and Tkachuk Before Trading Marner
For Eichel, after failing many seasons with the Buffalo Sabres to make the playoffs, he was eventually shipped off to the Las Vegas Golden Knights when team doctors and Eichel ultimately couldn’t agree on a procedure that was to be done on his severely injured neck.
So what happened next? Eichel would go on to lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in 2023. He would do so by leading the team in playoff scoring with 26 points, en route to the team’s first ever championship.
Then there was Tkachuk, back then with the Calgary Flames with current Leafs GM Brad Treliving at the helm at the time. Things turned sour when Tkachuk informed the Flames that he wasn’t going to sign a long-term extension with the team. So rather than risk losing him for nothing, the Flames acted quick and moved him in a blockbuster trade to the Florida Panthers during the 2022 offseason.
What came next for Tkachuk was eerie similar to that of Eichel. In his second season with the club, Tkachuk would lead the Panthers all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and ultimately capture Lord Stanley’s mug by beating Connor McDavid and the fearsome Edmonton Oilers team. Tkachuk would tie for the team lead in playoff scoring with 22 points in 24 games played. So both young stars ended up securing a Cup win. See a trend developing? (All stats from NHL.com)
So guess what will happen if the Leafs force a trade for Marner? The Leafs would likely then watch Marner lead his new team to glory in his second season while capturing a Cup title in the process. That’s really the last thing the Leafs and their faithful would want. The good thing that’s working on the Leafs side though is the fact that Marner hasn’t been demanding to leave town, nor is he on sour terms with Leafs management.
As a result, Leafs GM Brad Treliving better not make the same mistake once again this time around. Or else we would be just left with a huge sigh and a lingering miserable thought of what could have been in the end.