Insider drops very interesting update on Maple Leafs' Marner, Tavares
Photo credit: NHL / USA Today
Elliotte Friedman has revealed the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to engage in trade talks with two forwards in the next week or two and one or both could be moved before the draft.
Since being eliminated by the Boston Bruins once again, Leaf fans have been wanting for the Leafs to rid themselves of Mitch Marner and to an extent John Tavares. Both are entering the final year of their current contracts and both would be eligible to sign extensions on July first. Following the press conference with Brad Treliving, Brendan Shanahan and Keith Pelley on Friday, it was clear that there are going to be major changes and that while it wasn't directly said, fans implied that Marner is the most likely candidate to move.
On today's edition of '32 Thoughts' Elliotte Friedman provided an update on Marner and Tavares' potential availability and believes that a major trade could be made ahead of the draft in June.
"If you're Tavares or Tavares' representatives, you have to recognize the possibility they may come to you. If you are Marner or Marner's representatives you have to recognize the possibility that by simply saying they are not going to do certain things contract-wise, whether it's the number or the structure or whatever you want to make it that you're going to have to consider going elsewhere. I think right now we are in the unwinding phase, and I would expect in the next week or two that some of these conversations are going to take place.
There are teams out there that are going to start asking Toronto, 'Okay, if Marner is available, what are we looking at here?' As I've said before, going back to last summer with Nylander, teams know that Toronto is looking for the best defenseman that they can possibly get. So who's out there via trade and what are some of these teams willing to do. That's what I think the next month before the draft is going to be all about."
There are teams out there that are going to start asking Toronto, 'Okay, if Marner is available, what are we looking at here?' As I've said before, going back to last summer with Nylander, teams know that Toronto is looking for the best defenseman that they can possibly get. So who's out there via trade and what are some of these teams willing to do. That's what I think the next month before the draft is going to be all about."
Although Marner and Tavares are both owed minimal salary for the upcoming season based on the structure of their contracts, and have no-movement clauses, moving Tavares will be more difficult given his age and the fact that there will likely be very few teams interested in acquiring a seemingly third-line center with an $11M cap hit.
Marner, however, would allow the Leafs to not only free up $10.9M in cap space (if the return is picks and prospects) but also acquire the defenseman they have desperately needed for years. With conversations expected to take place in the next week or two, it will be interesting to see just how fast a trade materializes, if one does at all.
| POLL | ||
MAI 13 | 992 ANSWERS Insider drops very interesting update on Maple Leafs' Marner, Tavares Who would you rather see the Leafs trade? | ||
| Marner | 261 | 26.3 % |
| Tavares | 180 | 18.1 % |
| Both | 366 | 36.9 % |
| Neither, we will lose either trade | 185 | 18.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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