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The Vegas Golden Knights secured a wild card spot in the postseason despite enduring a challenging regular season but they couldn’t top the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs.
Aiming at a bounce-back season in 2024-25 after winning the Cup in 2023, Vegas must address their pending roster needs and general manager Kelly McCrimmon should try to get some youth into his lineup while navigating salary cap constraints during the offseason.
McCrimmon, however, has limited flexibility with the Golden Knights already $3.6 million above the salary cap. One way Vegas can add talent to their roster is by trading for available players.
One potential trade target, as highlighted by Nate Duffett of Clutch Points, is Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner. Marner is drawing interest around the league because of his perceived availability as he enters the final season of his six-year contract.
Toronto also needs to clear some cap space with Marner earning $10.9 million while also needing to add some talent on their blue line, most probably via trade.
“The Maple Leafs still need some help on defense, but their salary cap won’t allow them to make many moves. Could the Golden Knights and Maple Leafs work out a deal where Toronto receives Shea Theodore? It’s a long shot, but it’d be in the best interest of both parties,” Duffett wrote.
Shea Theodore is also entering the final season of his seven-year, $36 million contract with the Golden Knights. The salaries of Marner and Theodore, however, don’t quite align in a one-for-one trade so more players would need to be added to the trade packages.
Mitch Marner Struggles & Critics Within Maple Leafs
Marner has been a perfectly great regular-season player since he entered the league but he’s often underperformed in the playoffs.
Most recently, Marner scored 26 goals and 59 assists in only 69 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season. However, he could only add 3 points in seven postseason games before losing to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the first round.
A trade involving Marner and the Golden Knights could benefit both teams and give Marner an opportunity for a fresh start outside of Toronto while keeping a top-line role in Vegas.
Marner’s contract, however, includes a full no-move clause, which allows the player to block any trade if he doesn’t like the destination. The forward would need to unlock a trade to Vegas in order for the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights to complete a transaction.
It is not clear whether or not Marner would waive his no-move clause. Marner said during the end-of-season availability in May 2024 that he wanted to sign a long-term deal with Toronto if the Maple Leafs offered a new contract to him between now and July 2025.
“That’d be a goal. I’ve expressed my love for this place, this city. Obviously, I’ve grown up here. We’ll start thinking about that now and trying to figure something out… It means the world to me,” Marner told the media on May 6.
Could Toronto Entertain Getting Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore?
Toronto needs defensive support but is restricted by their salary cap. According to PuckPedia, the Leafs only have $955,333 in salary space with 21 of 23 players rostered.
Heavy Sports proposed a trade involving New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba getting to Toronto in exchange for Marner. Another potential deal could see Shea Theodore heading to Toronto.
At the end of May, Peter Baracchini of The Hockey Writers already presented Theodore (along with goalie Logan Thompson) as a target the Maple Leafs should consider in a potential Marner trade.
“Shea Theodore and Logan Thompson could be ideal players that they can get in return,” Baracchini wrote. “One giving this team some more offense and mobility on the blue line and the other would give some reassurance on the backend.”
Theodore has steadily produced 40-to-50 points for the Golden Knights and he could be a logical acquisition for the Maple Leafs even if Toronto already landed a bonafide top-pair defenseman in Chris Tanev.
Theodore posted 42 points in 47 games during the 2023-24 season, averaging 22:05 of ice time per game. He also racked up 27 takeaways compared to 22 giveaways for a positive return on that front.
Similarly to Marner, Theodore also has some control over his future. According to PuckPedia, he has a modified no-move clause with a five-team no-trade list.
Trading Marner for Theodore could facilitate a possible extension for Theodore as he would come in cheaper than Marner at the end of the 2024-25 season. That’s something Vegas might not be willing to guarantee the blueliner.
All of that said, Theodore (and Marner) would need to approve the swap by waiving their particular no-move clauses.
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Maple Leafs Trade Proposal Adds Defender for Mitch Marner