A Mitch Marner trade that actually might make some sense

Martin Necas seems to be ready for a new opportunity as he wanted to take on a bigger role with the Carolina Hurricanes. It's unlikely that he'll have that opportunity now, as early reports suggest that the Canes are ready to move on from the skilled winger.

Necas is coming off a down year as he produced 53 points in 77 games. His total points were still a decent amount, but it's a far drop from his previous season, where he had a career high in points (71) and showed glimpses of star potential.

If the Leafs can workout a trade with the Hurricanes around Necas, the speedy winger could be a perfect replacement for Mitch Marner in the top 6 and with some changes expected to the top power play unit next season, there could be a spot available to Necas on that top unit as well.

I know Hurricanes fans are probably not going to like the asking price from the Leafs' perspective here, but Marner is perhaps a top 5 RW in the National Hockey League. Perennial 90-point players don't grow on trees and the Canes will have to pay if they want to nab one.

Trade proposal:

Hurricanes trade:

Martin Necas (with an extension), 2024 1st round pick, 2025 2nd round pick and a prospect.

Leafs trade:

Mitch Marner (with an extension)

This is a win-win trade scenario for both clubs. The Leafs receive cap relief and an impressive young piece to play in the top 6, as well as some additional draft capital, and the Hurricanes receive a dynamic star in Mitch Marner to add to an already strong forward corps, which consists of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis.

Such a move would also allow William Nylander to take on a larger role with the Maple Leafs, more befitting his new $11.5M cap hit.

The obvious caveat here is that the Leafs would require Marner to waive his no-movement clause. I'm not sure he'd do that for a trade to Raleigh, North Carolina. Marner strikes me more as the type of player who would prefer to live on the coast or play in a larger market where more endorsement deals are available.

A team like the Los Angeles Kings, for example, seems like a far more likely scenario that Marner would waive for than Carolina would be. However, we shouldn't discount the possibility that Marner himself would prefer to opt for a quieter market, free of much of the media criticism that he currently experiences in Toronto.