Leafs Trade Proposal Flips 2 Islanders’ Assets For Mitch Marner as they prepare for his Physical test
The Toronto Maple Leafs could trade Mitch Marner ahead of the first season under the guidance of new head coach Craig Berube, and the New York Islanders are the latest franchise to be thrown into a potential transaction.
David Kolb of The Hockey News proposed a potential trade involving the Islanders and Maple Leafs, coming up with a change of scenery for the seemingly available superstar forward.
“Here’s the basic idea,” Kolb wrote. “The Islanders dish Adam Pelech ($5.75 M AAV) or Ryan Pulock ($6.15 M) and a draft pick(s) for Marner.”
Kolb’s proposed trade centers on addressing the respective needs of both teams as they enter another offseason following upsets in the 2024 campaign. He suggests that the Islanders could move a defenseman (Adam Pelech or Ryan Pulock) alongside draft picks to acquire Marner.
“New York picks up much-needed offense while the Leafs gain cap space and a defensive playoff-tested presence, improving a leaky Toronto blueline,” Kolb wrote.
CapFriendly projects the Islanders to have $5.8 million of cap space in the offseason. That could make it challenging for the franchise to sign talented free-agent forwards. On the other hand, Toronto has a plethora of elite forwards so the franchise could move one, most probably Marner.
Islanders Already Doing Bold Moves
Completing such a bold trade shouldn’t surprise anyone. That’s because the Islanders, with the help of the Chicago Blackhawks, were the first to complete a pre-draft trade and get the offseason transactions going.
The Isles and the Hawks exchanged first-round picks (among other selections) on May 24. The Blackhawks moved up to the Islanders’ No. 18 pick, while New York acquired Chicago’s No. 20 pick, along with two second-round selections.
According to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, in a story analyzing the trade on May 24, the move could indicate further Islanders trades being on the franchise’s horizon. Staple’s report gives credence to Kolb’s trade proposal as a viable transaction.
“Knowing Lamoriello, this doesn’t feel like the only transaction coming,” Staple wrote. “It could mean New York wants to package that extra second with a roster player to escape a contract burden and free up some much-needed space.”
Mitch Marner‘s Potential Trade or Extension
Marner’s career has been marked by both significant achievements and challenges, all of them within Toronto’s confines.
The Leafs signed Marner to a hefty six-year contract with an annual average value of $10.9 million in September 2019. That contract will expire on July 1, 2025, forcing Toronto to either trade Marner now, sign him to an extension before then, or lose him for nothing.
Despite the endless rumors around him, Marner expressed his desire to remain with the Maple Leafs during his exit interview in May.
