Chris Tanev is a legitimate top-pair defenseman that the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired through a relatively active free agent signing, despite overpaying for his services.
Nevertheless, Toronto did not make many changes to their forward group, and the Maple Leafs actually lost winger Tyler Bertuzzi to the Chicago Blackhawks (because to allegations of tampering).
Three trade suggestions that could alter Toronto’s roster in the goal, defense, and offensive positions were made by a user on PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool.
Maple Leafs Get:
Patrik Laine (2025) First-round selection, Blue Jackets
2026 Blue Jackets First-Round Selection
Shea Theodore, first-round pick of the 2027 Golden Knights
2025 Second-round selection, Golden Knights
Yaroslav Askarov, Third-Round Pick of the 2026 Predators
Blue Jackets Get:
Mitch Marner, Third-Round Pick (2026 Maple Leafs)
Golden Knights Get:
Liljegren, Timothy
McCabe, Jake
Predators Get:
Anthony Stolarz First-Round Pick, 2026 Maple Leafs
Although only three trades are mentioned above, the PuckPedia submissions include two additional moves that would also bring in Thomas Bordeleau and a Sharks 2025 second-round pick, as well as Martin Fehervary.
By completing this trade, the Maple Leafs could address two issues simultaneously: they would resolve Marner’s situation, avoiding losing him without compensation, and also send the unsettled Liljegren away, preventing any further complications.
Mitch Marner Linked to Vegas Golden Knights
Mitch Marner is the best trade asset available on the Maple Leafs roster. With him entering the final year of his contract, a trade is even more appealing.
Whether a trade involving the star winger happens is still uncertain. However, Marner has been part of numerous trade rumors as the Leafs don’t want to lose him for nothing in 2025.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman linked Marner to the Golden Knights on June 12, citing their lack of offensive power and abundance of blueline players as reasons for a potential deal.
“One of the things with Marner is that a lot of people suspect that Vegas will be around it,” Friedman said on “Leafs Morning Take.” “Because Vegas is just smart, they are around any good player. So I got people hypothesizing Shea Theodore and Logan Thompson deals to me, for example.”
Theodore is also entering the final season of his seven-year, $36 million contract. The salaries of Marner and Theodore don’t align in a one-for-one trade, so more players would need to be included in the trade packages.
In this trade scenario, the Golden Knights wouldn’t land Marner but would get Liljegren and McCabe instead. Marner would then be moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for disgruntled winger Patrik Laine.
Is a Patrik Laine for Mitch Marner Trade Feasible?
To start, the Leafs and the Blue Jackets would need to agree on a trade exchanging Marner for Laine. Once the trade packages are settled, both players would still need to approve the transaction.
Marner has a full no-move clause in his contract, while Laine has a modified, 10-team no-trade clause. Both players could potentially block any trade involving them.
However, Laine’s situation in Columbus makes it easier for him to approve a move. He requested a trade earlier in the offseason and was recently cleared to play by the NHL on Thursday, July 26, following his participation in the NHL/NHLPA players’ assistance program since early 2024.
Laine has two years remaining on his contract with an $8.7 million salary cap hit. He signed a four-year, $34.8 million deal with the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2022.
Since being traded to the Blue Jackets in January 2021, Laine has scored 64 goals and 74 assists in 174 games. However, he has also missed 123 games due to various injuries and illnesses. In the 2023-24 regular season, Laine scored 6 goals and assisted on 3 in just 18 games.
Predators Listening to Trade Pitches for Askarov
Nashville signed their starting goaltender, Juuse Saros, to a significant eight-year, $61.92 million extension at the start of free agency, as reported by NHL.com. The 29-year-old netminder is now secured through his age-37 season, effectively sidelining fellow goalie Yaroslav Askarov for the upcoming season.
Predators general manager Barry Trotz confirmed this on June 29, revealing that the franchise is actively seeking trade suitors for the young netminder.
“People are phoning about Askarov. With us getting close to finalizing Saros’ deal, rumors naturally start, giving you something to write about,” Trotz said with a smile. “But you can never have too much goaltending depth.
“It’s a gradual process with goalies, where they continue to refine their game and build confidence.
“I have to listen to calls, and if there’s something that makes sense for us, we’ll consider it,” Trotz added. “But there’s no timeframe or urgency on my part.”
Askarov is under contract through the 2024-25 season with a cap hit of $925,000. He appeared in two games during the 2023-24 season, posting a 1-0-0 record, a .943 save percentage, and a 1.47 goals-against average.
Leave a Reply