The New Jersey Devils are a new contender and the Toronto Maple Leafs might be heading for a rebuild, could they trade for Mitch Marner?
The Leafs recently fired GM Kyle Dubas following another playoff exit. The lack of playoff success has caused some to call for the team to tear it down and rebuild. Dubas received some criticism for signing his star forwards to large contracts. Mitch Marner is one of these forwards. He signed a 6-year, $10.9 million AAV deal prior to the 2019-20 season. They have to make a decision on Marner before the no-movement clause on his contract kicks in on July 1. If they decide to liquidate their assets, Marner is on the block. Despite his high cap hit, he would garner a lot of interest if he hit the trade market.
Following their resurgent season, the Devils will look for reinforcements this summer. While they have time with their core, they might want to strike while the iron’s hot. Marner is coming off two seasons with 97 points and 99 points respectively. He also has 47 points in 50 career playoff games, so he’s well-adjusted to that environment despite his team’s shortcomings. Furthermore, he’s only 26 years old. Players like him rarely come on the market. For an emerging contender like the Devils, Marner would add only more speed and skill to a team loaded with it.
The Devils have what the Leafs could be looking for. They have young prospects and NHL players they can offload. They also have cap flexibility, which is what would make this deal work. According to CapFriendly, the Devils have $34 million in projected cap space this offseason. Around half of it is probably going to Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. However, that leaves the Devils with around $16-17 million to fit in Marner’s $10.9 million cap hit. The Leafs are looking for cap flexibility and the Devils offer the most of it for a top contender. This deal could go through without the Leafs needing to retain any salary, which is something they want.
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and his predecessor Ray Shero have utilized cap flexibility to make trades and sign free agents in the past. The Devils have taken advantage of the poor cap situation of teams around the league before. While these moves didn’t work out in the end, PK Subban, Nikita Gusev and Andreas Johnsson were brought in as a result of their previous teams not having the financial flexibility to keep them. The Devils making a trade for Mitch Marner seems like a long shot for now, but it can’t be ruled out completely.
Stay tuned for more New Jersey Devils and NHL content, including trades, signings, and various updates.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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