Toronto Maple Leafs: The feasibility of a Mitch Marner trade

As the Mitch Marner saga continues to drag along, how likely is it that the Toronto Maple Leafs will actually trade the winger?

Mitch Marner wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the franchise feels the same way. This makes sense when speaking about a player who last season became the first Leaf since Mats Sundin to produce at least 90 points.

Regardless, with less than two weeks to go until training camp begins, Marner remains unsigned. This leads to the question of how this whole saga with arguably the third-best player on the roster is going to play out?

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Predictions include the winger signing a new contract at the start of the regular season. Another has it taking until a month until the new campaign before the two sides see sense and come to an agreement.

Recently, Puck Prose‘ Dave Stevenson reported on the possibility of Marner playing in Switzerland if he can’t get a deal finalized with the Leafs. However, now another scenario has entered the realm of possibility.

As suggested by Damien Cox in an article for the Toronto Star, maybe the Leafs should trade Marner. While no one wants to do this, it might be the only way forward.

The longer the contract dispute drags on, it increases the chances of Marner becoming ineligible to play this season. As much as the Leafs want him to remain in Southern Ontario, this is the last scenario they need.

Hence the possibility of moving the 22-year-old. As Cox writes, the Leafs either need to have him at his best in their lineup, or the assets acquired in a trade.

Certainly, you imagine the Leafs would get a decent haul for Marner, who is one of the top young talents in the game. Any package could include a blue-liner with potential, to further strengthen what has been the weakest area on the roster in recent seasons.

Of course, in an ideal world, the Leafs would prefer not to trade the Markham, Ontario native. However, we’re not in an ideal world. Otherwise, he would have already been signed to an extension.

In truth, we shouldn’t be shocked by the current standoff, given the players the Leafs have signed during the summer. With the challenge of a salary cap which didn’t increase as much as projected/hoped by NHL teams, someone had to be the odd man out in Toronto.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, that man is Marner. As a result, Leafs Nation has to be conscious of the ever-growing possibility he will be traded.

Some fans may accuse the 2015 fourth overall draft pick of being greedy. However, he’s entitled to get as close to his market value as possible, especially while it’s in the ascendancy.

Further, consider that this all could have been resolved during last summer, at least according to the latest information from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. Simmons writes that the Toronto Maple Leafs could have signed Marner for eight years at $8 million per season.

However, the team thought it was too much at the time. Of course, no one has the benefit of hindsight, but it must be frustrating for fans to know this, given the aforementioned salary cap constraints.

Overall, you still want to believe that Marner and the Leafs will come to an agreement, with both sides wanting him in Toronto for the long-term. But with every passing day, trading him becomes an increasingly realistic option.

What is your take on the standoff between Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs? Do you believe the winger will sign a contract extension? How realistic is the possibility of a trade? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.