According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Toronto Maple Leafs could be looking for defensemen in a trade if they were to move on from Mitch Marner this summer. While a deal could be difficult considering Marner is looking for a long-term contract extension with the team and has a no-move clause in his contract, there is talk that the Leafs feel a major change to the core four is needed and Marner could be the guy to go. If he does, what kind of return would Toronto be looking for?
Even if the Leafs can successfully convince Marner to waive his no-move clause, Friedman believes that it will be hard for GM Brad Treliving to win. He notes, “If they do make a Marner trade… maybe they don’t ‘win the trade’ and get a stud defenseman,” Friedman said. “But I would think a defenseman would be part of that package.”
There are a couple of ways the Leafs can go about trying to acquire that defenseman. They could move Marner in a deal that is more of a salary cap dump, trying to pick up a D-man in free agency. Brandon Montour and Brett Pesci are two names the Maple Leafs might show interest in. Alternatively, Toronto could try to make a hockey trade.
As far as teams that would be open for that discussion, Pittsburgh is a team some have thrown out there.
Is There a Marner Trade Link to the Penguins?
There is a sense that Treliving could strike a deal with the Leafs’ former general manager Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have quite a large pool of NHL-level defenders to choose from and they are caught in the middle of a being competitive and retooling.
Ryan Graves underperformed and there was some trade deadline chatter around Pierre-Olivier Joseph. More pieces would need to be involved, but these are two teams that potentially have what the other needs. For Marner, the idea of playing with Sidney Crosby might be appealing enough to consider a trade.
The Chicago Blackhawks might also be appealing with Connor Bedard in the house, and if Marner really wanted a fresh start, there’s no better way to get it than going to a team like the Utah NHL club.
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