It’s increasingly likely Mitch Marner won’t continue his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And he might get a fresh start with a former Boston Bruins coach.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights were engaged in talks about a sign-and-trade for Marner. If Vegas acquired Marner in such a deal, it would be able to offer him a maximum of eight years, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported.
Advertisement
While discussions are ongoing, Dreger doesn’t expect a deal to come to fruition on Saturday night.
“No trade call, nothing signed,” he posted on X. “More work ahead” if the two sides want to get a deal done.
Its unclear what the return for Marner would be, though SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Nic Roy could be part of the deal.
Marner, who has spent his entire nine-year career with the Maple Leafs, will become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday if he isn’t traded.
In May, The Athletic reported Toronto tried to sign Marner to a long-term deal that likely would have made the forward a Maple Leaf for life, but Marner declined.
Advertisement
Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told reporters on Saturday that his preference would be to get something for Marner rather than nothing, but didn’t comment on the trade rumors, per The Hockey News’ David Alter.
Marner posted a career-high 102 points during the 2024-25 season and added 13 more in as many playoff games. While he was a point-per-game player in the playoffs, he only scored one goal during that stretch.
Should the Golden Knights, who are coached by former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, Marner would join forces with Jack Eichel.
More Bruins content
Read the original article on MassLive.