Mitch Marner's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs isn't clear, but it's very on-brand if the Vegas Golden Knights make a play for the talented forward.
Mitch Marner's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs isn't clear, but it's very on-brand if the Vegas Golden Knights make a play for the talented forward.
A highly talented player that could be on the outs? Cue the Vegas Golden Knights.
As talk continues to intensify surrounding the future of Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner comes word that it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Vegas Golden Knights attempt at grabbing the highly skilled forward.
“One of the things with Marner is that a lot of people suspect that Vegas will be around it,” Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Wednesday. “Because Vegas is just smart, they are around any good player. So I got people hypothesizing Shea Theodore and Logan Thompson deals to me, for example.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_ooxgMj78[/embed]
Marner is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign an extension as soon as July 1. His agent, Darren Ferris, has reportedly indicated that his client intends to play out the remainder of his deal in Toronto.
To say the situation is complicated would be an understatement. Last week, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving told TSN's Pierre LeBrun that they won't make a trade just for the sake of making one. It's also believed that the Leafs won't come to Marner and ask him to waive his no-move clause unless there is a deal on the table.
The Golden Knights have arguably perfected the art of acquiring a star player who is on the outs with their club and orchestrating a deal to bring them to Vegas. In 2019 they acquired Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators along with Tobias Lindberg in exchange, for Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, and a 2020 second-round pick. They prompted signed him to an eight-year, $76 million extension. They did the same with Jack Eichel, prying the star center away from the Buffalo Sabres in November of 2021 in exchange for Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a first-round draft pick and a future second-rounder. Vegas got a third-round pick as well as part of the transaction.
What's to stop Vegas from doing it again with Marner? Well, a decent trade package and Marner himself, who has to agree to any proposed move.
With the Stanley Cup Final continuing on, it's not likely much will change in the situation between now and the NHL Draft. With the Draft set to take place in Vegas at the MSG Sphere, what spectacle it would be if a Marner trade was announced on that massive 16K resolution visual display. It would be very Vegas.
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