Maple Leafs Talked Marner Trade With Golden Knights Last Summer

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to undergo some massive changes this summer, as both Mitchell Marner and John Tavares are expected to hit the open market and test free agency. Marner is likely looking for around $14 million annually, but there will be plenty of teams willing to pay him if he’s open to joining their team. One of those teams will likely be the Vegas Golden Knights, considering they discussed a Marner trade last summer, according to a recent report. While it was mentioned that a deal never came close because the Maple Leafs asked for Shea Theodore, it points to the fact that the Golden Knights might be a team that is willing to spend big to sign Marner.

Marner, who is 28 years old, was drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Maple Leafs and put up 61 points in 77 games in his rookie season. Throughout his career, he has scored 221 goals and added 520 assists for 741 points through 657 games, which comes out to a 1.13 points-per-game average. In 70 career playoff games, he has scored 13 goals and added 50 assists for 63 points.

The Golden Knights came up short in the playoffs this season, losing in five games to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. They played well enough to win their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild, but their lack of offensive production combined with their lackluster defensive play led to them being eliminated early by the Oilers. Adding a big-name free agent, and proven playoff performer, like Marner, could help them make a deeper run next season rather than falling into a retooling or even a rebuild.

What Would It Take to Bring Marner to Vegas?

The Golden Knights have approximately $9.6 million in cap space heading into the offseason, so unless Marner is willing to take a huge discount, they will have to get creative. They may look to trade a defender to free up some cap space, or they may shock the league and look to move one of William Karlsson or Ivan Barbashev to clear enough room to bring in Marner. Realistically, if they want to sign Marner, they will have to make a smart trade that not only sheds salary but also doesn’t make them worse, which will be tough to pull off.

They will also have to beat out some other teams that will be willing to spend big to sign Marner, like the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, who may be rebuilding, but have the money to offer to try and persuade him to join their organization and play through the remainder of their rebuild as they work back into contention. At the end of the day, it seems as though the Maple Leafs will have to look for a replacement for Marner if he chooses to go elsewhere, and while some solid options are entering free agency this summer, losing Marner will be a huge blow.

Nikolaj Ehlers, Sam Bennett, and Brock Boeser will be the three most sought-after players this offseason, and the Maple Leafs will likely spend big to try and replace Marner with one of those players. It won’t be a perfect replacement, as neither of those three brings as much to the table as Marner does, but it would prove they’re willing to try and stay in contention despite losing one of the best players in the NHL.

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