Getty NHL insider shared a mock Mitch Marner trade.
David Pagnotta, an NHL insider shared a mock trade between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Nashville Predators.
Following the Maple Leafs being eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins, the future of Mitch Marner is up in the air.
Marner has a year left on his deal and he has been rumored to be in trade talks this summer. Pagnotta of The Fourth Period thinks Toronto should look to trade the star forward to the Nashville Predators for goalie Juuse Saros.
“The Leafs are not going to move him for a package surrounded by future assets. If they go down this road, and teams have already poked around, it’s a talent-for-talent swap. One team I am curious about is the Nashville Predators. A star player like Marner would fit in nicely at Bridgestone Arena and they have a star of their own they are willing to move for the right deal, despite GM Barry Trotz recently reaffirming their desire to keep him,” Pagnotta wrote in his article.
“Goaltender Juuse Saros, like Marner, will soon be on an expiring contract. With Yaroslav Askarov waiting in the wings, moving Saros for extra firepower up front could be what the doctor ordered,” Pagnotta added.
Marner for Saros has been a trade fans have talked about, as the Maple Leafs have a need in goal. As Pagnotta also writes, Nashville has Askarov in the minors who is considered to be the top goalie prospect in the NHL, and at age 21 the Russian seems poised to become a full-time NHL starter.
Marner Wants to Stay in Toronto
The off-season for the Maple Leafs has begun following the team being eliminated by the Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Marner is set to enter the final year of his six-year $65.358 million contract he signed back in 2019. Although the forward has been the subject of trade rumors, Marner says he wants to remain in Toronto for the long term.
“That would be a goal,” Marner said, via NHL.com. “I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I’ve grown up here. We’ll start thinking about that now and try to figure something out.”
Marner has a No Movement clause in his contract, so the Maple Leafs would need the forward to agree to be traded if they trade him this summer.
Maple Leafs Exec Says Everything is on The Table
After another early playoff exit, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said the front office will look at everything this summer in terms of changing their roster.
“The ultimate responsibility is on me. The accountability is on me. Our playoff results have not been good enough. That’s on me.”
Brendan Shanahan on the Maple Leafs’ postseason struggles.
“We do an analysis at the end of every season. We look at our team, we look forward and we look for ways to be better, we do that every year. In the past, I believe there are times where you talk about patience, and I still believe there are times where patience is the suitable call,” Shanahan said.
“However, when you see patterns persist and the results don’t change, you have to adjust the way that you think about things. We will look at everything this summer, and we will consider everything this summer. All with the intention of the one thing we are here for, which is to make the Maple Leafs better and to win,” Shanahan continued.
What changes Toronto will make to their roster this summer is to be seen.