A massive trade proposal has the Toronto Maple Leafs breaking up the “Core Four” by swapping out All-Star forward Mitch Marner for a Stanley Cup-winning and stud veteran defenseman.
Fans and analysts have called for the Maple Leafs to trade Mitch Marner following another disappointing playoff exit. For the third time in the Marner-Auston Matthews era, Toronto was eliminated by the rival Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the opening round.
Matthews and William Nylander aren’t going anywhere, and the Leafs will have a tough time finding a taker or the final yea of captain John Tavares’ contract. So if GM Brad Treliving wants to break up the Core Four, his best bet is to trade Marner.
Nate Duffet of ClutchPoints proposed a blockbuster trade idea that would see Toronto deal Mitch Marner to the powerhouse Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for star defenseman Shea Theodore:
What would the return on a Mitch Marner trade look like for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
If the Leafs do decide to trade Marner, they could get a haul for the 28-year-old, despite his contract expiring after next season. @JamieHersch | @asgrimson | #LeafsForever | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/qPQTKnMuU8
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 31, 2024
Since their inception in 2017, the Golden Knights have mastered the art of completing blockbuster trades for superstar players, including Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Jonathan Marchessault, and Max Pacioretty.
Vegas is loaded with quality defensemen (Hanifin, Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden McNabb). But their offensive depth took a hit with the offseason losses of Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and Michael Amadio.
Mitch Marner For Shea Theodore Would Be A Win-Win
Marner looks like someone who’s become overwhelmed with the heavy spotlight and media attention in Toronto. In Vegas, he would face much less pressure and have the luxury of playing with two elite scorers in Stone and Eichel.
Toronto has enough scoring upfront, but they need more defensemen to help Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev. Theodore is strong defensively and provides quality offense on the backend, with five straight 40-point seasons.
Theodore would instantly become Toronto’s best defenseman, and Marner could easily become a consistent 100-point forward on a deeper and more-rounded Vegas team whose Cup window remains wide open.
