Maple Leafs Mock Trade Lands Toronto 3 Impact Players From Utah For Mitch Marner

Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been popular in trade rumors this season, and the website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades.

Marner has been one of the more popular players involved in trades, and one user sent him to Utah for three impact players.

Maple Leafs Get:

• Clayton Keller
• Dylan Guenther
• Juuso Valimaki

Utah Get:

• Mitch Marner
• Timothy Liljegren
• Topi Niemala

In the blockbuster trade, Utah gets a skilled forward to help out their offense in Marner as well as a young promising defenseman in Liljegren. Niemala, meanwhile, is a prospect who could be considered an NHL defenseman in the next year or two.

As for the Maple Leafs return, Keller has been a popular player to get in return for Marner. He is friends with Auston Matthews, and plays a similar game to Marner, but not as effectively but is much cheaper. Last season, Keller recorded 33 goals and 48 assists for 76 points.

Guenther, meanwhile, is a former first-round pick who has struggled to find his footing in the NHL. He would likely be on the Maple Leafs’ third or fourth line in the NHL, while Valimaki is a replacement for Liljegren who is the better defenseman of the two.

The trade does seem realistic and something that could very well happen if Toronto does end up trading Marner.

Maple Leafs May Opt to Not Move Marner

Although Marner has been the subject of trade rumors, as he enters the final year of his deal, the skilled winger may return to Toronto.

NHL insider Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet recently reported that all signs point to Marner being at training camp and at least starting the year with the Maple Leafs.

“The speculation about Marner’s future has gone from five-alarm fire to candle flicker as the reality of the situation has set in around the squad. Marner has full control of his destiny thanks to a no-move clause and, in all likelihood, will be at training camp ready to start a walk year with the Leafs in September,” Dixon wrote.

Whether or not Marner will be moved during the season is uncertain, but if he plays out the year he could walk in free agency for nothing.

Keller has Been Linked to Toronto

Keller has been a popular name in trade rumors going to Torotno due to his friendship with Matthews.

Before the 2023-24 NHL season, Keller was asked by PHNX Sports about the rumors to Toronto and he joked he didn’t think he could deal with all that media attention.

“Yeah, no, that’s not true. I’m just focused on myself and the team here, and I just love this group of guys. This is where I want to be right now.”

The interviewer then asked Keller about having to deal with all that media attention, and he just laughed and smiled about it.

Keller is entering the fifth year of his eight-year deal, as the forward will be paid $7.15 million per season. He was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft.