The Toronto Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner are headed for a divorce this off-season, with several teams emerging as potential landing spots for the 28-year-old right winger.
Elliotte Friedman reported that the team and the Vegas Golden Knights “have been discussing the possibility of a sign-and-trade involving” Marner.
It is not the first time he has put those two sides together in the same breath, as he previously noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast that Vegas was the heavy favorite to land the top prize in this year’s free agency class.
Should Friedman’s reports become reality, the Golden Knights instantly become the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Vegas was a Western Conference Semifinal team this past season and while they were decidedly handled by the eventual champion Edmonton Oilers, Marner would provide the upgrade the team needs to get back to cup contention.
The wing had the best year of his career last season, tallying 102 points on 27 goals and 75 assists. He was the lifeblood of the Leafs’ offense, dishing the puck and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates throughout the year. In what was an uncharacteristically down year for Auston Matthews, it was Marner who shone brightest.
Bringing his playmaking ability, strong skating, and quality defense that are staples of his play to a Golden Knights team that already has a 96-point scorer in Jack Eichel, and setting him up to find the net with his big, powerful shot, would make for a potent one-two punch.
Marner establishing the offensive flow and dishing the puck to his teammates would theoretically lead to one of the most potent and potentially explosive offenses in the game. It would make Vegas a pre-eminent favorite to win the Western Conference, which is already top-heavy, and provide that team with a realistic opportunity to compete against Florida in the Stanley Cup finals.
There is no telling what Vegas would have to give up in a sign-and-trade deal for Marner, but short of Eichel, whatever it is would seemingly be well worth it to justify an upgrade of that magnitude.
Considering the Dallas Stars have had to make deals to address cap issues, and Edmonton will be coming off of two deep runs in the postseason and a year that saw Connor McDavid miss time due to injury, there is an opportunity for an opposing team to assume the No. 1 overall position in the west.
A Vegas squad with Marner leading one of the most efficient offenses in the sport would be that team.