Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel – Imagn Images (left) Dan Hamilton – Imagn Images (right)
The Quinn Hughes trade shows the Maple Leafs really undersold the Mitch Marner deal, and you begin to wonder if they could have gotten a better deal.
Four pieces including three young players was the price for Hughes, and while it’s not often you hear about this level of elite talent being shopped around, it’s not unheard of.
Toronto’s return for Mitch Marner is paltry compared to Quinn Hughes
Toronto traded Mitch Marner this summer to the Vegas Golden Knights straight up for Nicolas Roy. Granted, Marner had prevented deals previously including one involving Mikko Rantanen as he wanted to stick it out with the team.
You’re telling me that Treliving couldn’t have thrown in the picks he used to acquire Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli in as well? Vegas had some pieces they could have parted with that are better than both of them.
William Karlsson would have provided a true top-six presence, meanwhile it’s not unfeasible to see Toronto target Keegan Kolesar as a Joshua-type player. He hits hard, is a big body, can score, and is almost the same age.
Granted, Hughes’ position has a big part in things, as it’s not too often you find a supremely talented offensive blueliner who can also shut things down defensively.
But going off his return and based off Marner’s production over recent years, they could possibly have had a deal like this:
(F) Mitch Marner
(F) Nick Robertson
(D) Ben Danford
2027 Third-Round Pick
2028 Fourth-Round Pick
(F) Nicolas Roy
(F) William Karlsson
(F) Keegan Kolesar
Is this a reality? Honestly, probably slim to none but looking at it at first glance does solve some issues.
Why Toronto should have tried to go all-in with Marner deal
Toronto gets rid of Marner and Nick Robertson, who needs a change of scenery. Danford is a wild-card when it comes to his future and if the team wanted to add pieces, they could sell high on his potential.
The picks used in the Maccelli/Joshua deals get added however we could have seen them use their 2026 third-rounder and/or their 2027 second-rounder in place of them to sweeten things.
The Maple Leafs add their 3C in Roy, that doesn’t change. But they add a true top-six presence in Karlsson, who has familiarity with William Nylander, plus you add Kolesar to play on the third/fourth line like Joshua does.
The others at least have a purpose on the team, and they would have given the Maple Leafs a huge leg up in their forward group.
But their patience didn’t pay off, and they were left with a one-for-one deal that should have included so much more.
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