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NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams who need to trade for Mitch Marner

By Alex Hoegler

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 09: Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner (16) gains control of the puck at the blue line during the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 09, 2019, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 09: Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner (16) gains control of the puck at the blue line during the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 09, 2019, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images /

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Toronto Maple Leafs might trade Mitch Marner if he doesn’t lower his asking price. Here are five teams who need him.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas hit a home run last offseason, inking superstar center John Tavares to a seven-year contract worth $77 million. And with that, Dubas had finished most of his work for the summer, picking up the top free agent in the 2018 free agent class. But Dubas won’t be able to relax as much this time around, according to the latest NHL trade rumors surrounding Mitch Marner.

The Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in a grueling seven-game series for the second straight year. Now, Dubas and the rest of Toronto’s front office must find a way to retool this roster accordingly so that they can finally compete for a Stanley Cup again.

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This offseason, his biggest job is to figure out what to do with another star forward – Mitch Marner. The 22-year-old led the Maple Leafs in scoring with 94 points, and he’s going to be a prime offer sheet candidate if Toronto can’t extend him before free agency begins.

In January, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that the Maple Leafs and Marner discussed a $72 million deal last summer, but Kyrpreos said “it was too rich” for Toronto. However, it’s easy to believe Marner’s camp will push hard for a long-term deal worth at least $10 million a season. He’s young and in his prime. He was Toronto’s best player all year. Marner is more than deserving of $70-plus million in his next deal.

But what if the Maple Leafs and Marner aren’t able to agree to terms on a new deal? Well, maybe Dubas should think about trading the 2015 first round pick. With Tavares and Auston Matthews in the fold, Toronto already has two franchise centers. Maybe Dubas can dangle Marner (and other pieces) and see if he can receive some much-needed help on defense in return.

Here are five teams that should try and trade for Mitch Marner, along with logical and reasonable trade packages to offer.

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