Toronto Maple Leafs Unlikely to Trade Mitch Marner Before July 1st

Marner Trade Options for Toronto Maple Leafs: Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins

Trading Marner to the Pittsburgh Penguins would reunite him with former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. Former teammate Michael Bunting is there as well. Marner would be allowed to play with Sidney Crosby, which might not be as special as it once was, but leaving Matthews for Crosby isn't too bad of a trade-off.

The Leafs number one trade target from the Penguins roster should be defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is 33-years-old, but still registered 11 goals and 45 assists for 56 points this season. His salary cap hit is $10 million which is slightly cheaper than Marner's and he is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season. Karlsson would also be an upgrade to the Leafs power play.
(All stats from hockey-reference.com)

Carolina Hurricanes

Accepting a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes would reunite Marner with his friend Frederik Andersen. Andersen, like Marner, is under contract for one more season. The two players became close friends during their time together with the Leafs. Acquiring Marner from the Leafs wouldn't be too difficult for the Hurricanes as they have a ton of cap space ($27.3 million) this off-season.

Figuring out which players the Leafs would target from the Hurricanes in a trade is tricky. Instead of a bonafide defenseman or goaltender, the Leafs might target a younger player like Seth Jarvis, plus draft picks and a prospect or two.

Jarvis is a 22-year-old right-wing who registered 33 goals and 34 assists for 67 points in 81 games this season. He is a restricted free agent (RFA) this off-season, so the Leafs will need to sign him once acquired. Even after signing Jarvis, the Leafs would still have a chunk of Marner's cap available to spend elsewhere.