The Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest trade chip this offseason is Mitch Marner who has been the subject of trade rumors, and now Sportsnet radio host Sam McKee shared a mock deal with Utah.
Marner is set to enter the final year of the six-year $65.4 million deal he signed in 2019. Despite Marner being the subject of trade rumors, he has a full no-movement clause, so the forward would have to agree to be traded.
Even with that, Marner has still been involved in plenty of mock trades, and McKee shared his mock trade that would deal the skilled winger to Utah for three impact players.
“Mitch Marner heading to Utah for Connor Ingram, the young goalie, Clayton Keller, and Lawson Crouse,” McKee said on Real Kyper & Bourne on June 20.
The package for Marner would be great for the Maple Leafs who land three impact players. The first player Toronto would get is goaltender Connor Ingram who has two years left on his deal that pays him $1.95 million per season. Last season, Ingram went 23-21-3 with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Keller, meanwhile, would be the focal point of the trade as he is a star player for Utah. Keller was drafted seventh overall in 2016 and last season, he recorded 33 goals and 43 assists for 76 points in 78 games. The centerman has four years left on his contract that pays him $7.15 million per season.
The final player the Maple Leafs would acquire in McKee’s mock trade is Crouse who’s a former first-round pick. Crouse recorded 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points in 81 games last season, while the winger has three years left on his deal that pays him $4.3 million per season.
Radio Host Says Maple Leafs Should Make That Trade
After McKee shared the mock Marner trade with Utah, his co-host Justin Bourne said it’s a trade the Maple Leafs should do.
Bourne believes it makes Toronto a better team by finding a quality goalie to pair with Joseph Woll, while still getting an offensive player in Keller, and a big-body forward in Crouse which is something the Maple Leafs have needed for some time.
“As the Leafs, I’m doing it, I’m doing it because it solves a lot of problems. I do think Ingram is at least, what the Leafs have in Joseph Woll is a potential number one, they might… Woll is so legit to me, that a guy like Ingram, one of these two guys could be good enough, so, I like that. Keller, you still get a scorer, Crouse you get a bigger guy. If you are Utah, you are lacking the top-end scoring, the guys who produce that put you over the top, so Marner (can do that),” Bourne said.
Whether or not Utah would accept that deal or even has an interest in Marner is uncertain.
Maple Leafs May Re-Sign Marner
Although Marner has been the subject of trade rumors this season, the winger may not be traded and instead sign an extension with the team.
On June 17, TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger appeared on TSN 1050’s “First Up” and reported that he believes the Maple Leafs would rather re-sign Marner than trade him.
“Are we so sure Toronto doesn’t want to extend Mitch? I’m not. I think Treliving would rather extend [Marner] than trade. But they’re not having those discussions yet either. It’s still early; it’s very premature across the board,” Dreger said.
Following Dreger’s comments, former NHLer and current “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast host Paul Bissonnette reported on June 18 that he had heard Toronto was discussing an extension with Marner.
Marner recorded 26 goals and 59 assists for 85 points in 69 regular season games last year with the Maple Leafs.
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Mitch Marner Mock Trade Lands Maple Leafs 3 Impact Players From Utah