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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 /

4. Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes narrowly missed the playoffs this season by just four points — extending their drought to seven years. It’s time for general manager John Chayka to get more aggressive and look to add more superstar talent in the offseason — be it through trade or in the free agent market.

Arizona is one of the few teams that can afford to give Marner a lucrative deal worth $10-plus million a season, and among the only clubs that can offer the Maple Leafs a strong return in a potential blockbuster trade.

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The Coyotes ranked 27th in offense during the regular season. Nobody scored 20 goals, and Clayton Keller led the team with just 47 points. If new head coach Rick Tocchet could just get that one legitimate top-line center, the Coyotes would have all the pieces in place to return to the playoffs in 2020.

Toronto would definitely need a top-four blueliner in a trade with Arizona, and Dubas might prefer getting a top-six forward as part of the return. And if he wants to get bold, maybe Dubas offers up William Nylander following a frustrating 2018-19 season.

The Coyotes get a true star and a potential 30-goal man in Nylander, who will surely bounce back after practically half the season due to a contract holdout. In return, Toronto gets an affordable center in Alex Galchenyuk, an annual 20-goal and 50-point threat.

But the big catch here is slick Swedish blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson, one of the more well-rounded defencemen in the NHL. He carries a hefty $8.25 million cap hit through 2026-27, but unloading Nylander here makes room for the defenceman’s contract.

Ekman-Larsson has scored double-digit goals seven times and is good for around 40-50 points a season. He would supply Toronto with a perfect partner for Morgan Rielly on the first pairing.

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