Insider links former 4th overall draft pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs

After yet another first round exit, the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the off-season with a ton of question marks but none bigger than their $10.9 million dollar man in Mitch Marner. The ultra-talented winger has performed admirably in the regular season on a consistent basis but once again turtled in the post-season when the Maple Leafs needed it the most with Auston Matthews and William Nylander dealing with ailments and injuries.

He hasn't been all bad during the course of his 8-year tenure - 14 points in 11 playoff games last year - but with Matthews and Nylander locked up long-term, there is almost no way that the Leafs can afford to bring back the same cast and crew for another run. With Marner playing on an expiring contract in the 2024-25 season and with Toronto more than likely unwilling to meet his egregious demands, a trade should most certainly be on the horizon this summer.

Trading a player with a cap hit just under 11 million dollars is not going to be an easy feat, but one team that could not only afford it, but may have a few intriguing pieces that might interest the Leafs. That team is the Chicago Blackhawks.

Elliotte Friedman took to his podcast earlier in the week and stipulated that Seth Jones could be a potential trade target should the Leafs be looking for a major change to the makeup of their blueline.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old defenseman has enjoyed an 11-year career with the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks. He has tallied 90 goals and 405 points in 797 games. while averaging 23:41 ATOI. His best seasons came in Columbus where he scored 50 goals and 223 points in 381 games while averaging 24:47 ATOI. He was then moved in a shocking deal to Chicago on draft day in 2021.

The offensive numbers have dipped a little bit, but Jones is not an analytical dream either. Playing for a struggling and rebuilding Blackhawks team, Jones has put up 119 points in 217 games but also compiling a whopping minus-90 rating while averaging 25:24 TOI. His player card featured by Andy and Rono shows he's an 85 (out of 100) in transition, 56 in defense, and 38 in offense, for a paltry subtotal of 38 out of 100.

The other more daunting issue is that he carries a $9.5 million dollar cap hit for the next 6 seasons with a full no-movement clause. So while they would be addressing their back-end in a supposed move for Jones, they would be risking taking on an albatross contract that would go through his 36-year-old season.

A Marner trade involving Chicago could still be an intriguing option considering that the Blackhawks want to surround Connor Bedard with talent and have the cap space to take on whatever he earns in his new contract. However, trying to trade big-money for big-money might not be the answer Brad Treliving and company are looking for. Still, with that said, the Hawks are bursting at the seams with draft picks and prospects that could really sweeten the pot for the Maple Leafs in a Marner/Jones swap, provided both players would agree to waive their no-movement clauses.